Illegal Love
by dkfan24
Summary: Matthias Køhler, a renowned spy and detective, is set on a mission to catch a thief who's been committing numerous robberies throughout the US. But when Matthias goes undercover, he finds himself falling for the criminal who he's been hired to arrest. He now has a tough decision to make; follow the law and turn him in or follow his heart and be with his new found love.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is an idea I had for a multichapter for all you DenNor fans :) It's an AU, a police/crime/romance AU or whatever so I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, just the plot.**

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 **Matthias's P.O.V.**

People often ask me why I don't go to work for the police department, or even bigger agencies like the CIA or the FBI. They tell me I'd be more successful there than with the little private investigation firm I run now. And to be honest, they're probably right. I won't lie, I am one of the most, if not the most, highly recommended spy and detective in the United States and police departments all over the country are constantly asking me to take some of their more difficult cases. I even get called on by the CIA and the FBI when they get stumped.

But the thing is, I don't want to work for those guys. If you ask me, I think that they're all a bunch of idiots. I kind of like it when I get calls from them requesting that I help them out, or in other words, figure it out for them. It makes me feel superior to them when they're forced to come to me all the time. And boy, do they hate me for it. They feel humiliated when they have to get my outside help, that's why they keep nagging me to just join the force. But we both know that no matter how much they beg I will always be their outside consultant. I kind of like to think of myself as their Sherlock Holmes.

And that's the reason why I'm standing here, outside the New York City Police Department. Their cheif of police, Berwald Oxenstierna, had given me a call earlier to meet at his office as soon as possible. The man hates my guts. I can't really blame him though, I did embarrass his whole police force a few months back when he had asked me to investigate a case that had been on their hands for almost five years and I, naturally, was able to solve in a matter of months. He must be really desperate right now if he was willing to call me.

I walked into that building with a confident stride as if I owned the place. Alright, maybe I was a little too cocky but I couldn't help myself. Most of the officers who recognized me glared in my direction as I walked pass them. And of course, I gave them a smile in return. They knew why I was here and they were not happy about it.

By the time I had reached the chief's office, I had probably pissed off ninety five percent of the officers there just with my presence. Watch out New York City, you'd better stick to the speed limit today because you're going to have a lot of grumpy police officers hanging around.

I smiled at Tino, Berwald's secretary, and he smiled back at me. Well, that was my first friendly greeting today and it would probably be my last. I'm pretty sure something's going on between Berwald and his secretary. I haven't exactly figured it out yet but me being a famous detective and all I'm bound to figure it out soon enough.

Tino called Berwald to let him know I was here and he motioned for me to enter his office. When I opened the door I was surprised to see that it wasn't just Berwald who was waiting for me but there were a bunch of others waiting for me as well. Some of them I recognized while some of them I had never met. I recognized Ludwig Beilschmidt, one of the directors of the FBI who I've worked for a few times in the past. Next to him was Arthur Kirkland, a former spy for the CIA. We had collaborated on missions once or twice when the CIA decided he wasn't good enough and had called upon me to help him out. To put it briefly, the man still held quite a big grudge against me. There was someone else there too, some guy with glasses and a bomber jacket. To say the least, he didn't quite fit in the picture with the rest of the group dressed in uniform.

Despite the fact that they all hated me I smiled at them and sat myself down in front of Berwald's desk. This apparently was an emergency as Berwald got straight to the point, skipping all the usual formalities.

"Just to clarify, you were our last choice. We tried everyone else before coming to you. Got that?"

If he was trying to make me feel less important then he only made me feel more superior. "Well, then that simply says that I'm the best, doesn't it?"

I could feel their anger boiling as I smirked at them. Berwald decided not to argure on the point any further as he realized it would only lead to more humiliation.

"There has been a thief committing huge robberies all across the United States for the past eight months. We have tried everything we can to get more information on him but we haven't been very successful. We even have the FBI and the CIA on the case but we've still got nothing. You are our last resort, not that I expect that you will get any more information than what we already got, but it's worth a try."

So that's why all my enemies were here because none of them were smart of enough to figure this case out. The only mystery left was the guy with the bomber jacket.

"Who's that?" I asked, pointed to the man.

Berwald glanced in the direction I had pointed. "That's Alfred Jones, one of the directors of Goldman Sachs here in New York. Turns out that this unknown thief managed to steal almost thirty million dollars from their bank. More the reason why this case is so important. Major banks are being robbed all over the country and we need to stop it."

Well, that came as a surprise. I certainly wasn't expecting that from a man like him. But now I started to understand why they were so keen on catching this guy. He must be a criminal mastermind!

"You should just know," my fellow spy chimed in. "that if you take this job, anything you find must be reported back to us. No going off on your own as this is technically not your case."

"We'll see about that." I replied smugly. I thought this case would be simple, after all, he was just a bank robber. And I was right, finding him was easy enough, but the actual catching him and putting justice back in order, well, that was a case of wild emotions and the hardships of true love.

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 **And that's the introduction everybody! Tell me what you think and if I should continue this.**

 **I'm not promising any weekly updates as my other fics come first. I just wanted to get this up so I wouldn't forget about. But if I see enough people are interested in this then maybe I'll spend some more time on it.**

 **Please review/fav/follow! Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! So I actually think this story will be successful so I'm putting some more time into it. I'm actually really excited to continue this so hopefully updates will be more constant. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited (is that even a word?) so far, it makes me so happy :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, just the plot.**

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The minute I got home from the police station, I was already at work. Those damn officers were of no help, they had not one bit of information to give me. I was practically starting from scratch. The only thing I knew was that this guy was a thief. But there were probably millions of thieves just here in New York, unfortunate as it is.

So, I decided to start with the most recent robbery which according to this morning's _New York Times_ , occured yesterday morning at the Goldman Sachs bank here in New York City. So, naturally I headed on over there to hear a personal account on the story from the victims themselves.

When I arrived and told them what I was there for I was immediately taken to Alfred Jones, the same director who had been back at the police department with me. I hadn't had a chance to speak with him there so I was anxious to hear what had happened according to him.

As I entered his office I was a little taken by surprise. The room itself was average in size, definitely suited for director of a major bank. But I thought it looked more like a fast food restaurant with all the empty soda cans and half eaten hamburgers strewn around. I glanced back at the man who led me there, surprisingly he had a striking resemblance to Alfred, maybe they were related.

"Are you sure you haven't accidentally led me to the breakroom?" I asked jokingly.

He gave a small laugh. "No, this is actually his office. Make yourself comfortable, he should be hear any minute."

I glanced at the messy room and turned back towards the man to ask him something but he had disappeared. I didn't even hear him walk away. _Strange_ , I thought as I entered the office. I scanned the room for a place to sit but it appeared that all the chairs were covered in garbage. But there was one chair in the corner that was spared from the leftovers of Alfred's breakfasts, lunches and dinners for what seemed like the past week or so.

I sat down and tried to make myself comfortable but as much as some people like to think, I'm actually quite a neat freak. I continued sitting there, trying to hold in my disgust as I watched the clock impatiently. Finally, when I couldn't wait anymore, Alfred walked in. I frowned slightly as I saw the McDonald's bag in his hand but I quickly put a smile back on my face as he turned to greet me.

"Hey, I can't believe you actually came here. Did the police really tell you to come?"

I looked at him with confusion as he pushed aside a bag of stale french fries and placed his fresh food down on the desk. "No, I came on my own."

He plopped down in his chair and laughed. "Aww man, I thought they finally got some faith in me." He smiled back at me but frowned when he saw my still puzzled expression. "You see, they don't really think I'm capable of handling this stuff so whenever the bank has a case like this they never come to hear my opinion."

I smiled slightly as I slowly came to understand. "Well, I don't really agree with the tactics of the police. I kind of like to do my own thing."

"Yeah, that's totally cool dude." He said as he put his feet up on the desk. "I always thought those cops were a bit nutty. It's a good thing you're taking over the case because they're totally not capable of this."

"Right, thanks." Let's just say that my work doesn't often get complimented. "So, about the robbery yesterday."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that's why you were hear." He laughed as he popped a french fry into his mouth. As much as this guy was starting to annoy me I couldn't help taking a liking to him. He had this friendly sort of vibe that pushed away all negativity towards him. I guess I can also be annoying sometimes so it's not really my place to say that.

"Well then, let me just ask you a few questions." I said as I pulled out my red notebook. It was my special notebook as it held the information of all my past cases in it. I was currently working on a scrapbook of all my cases so this one would just be another one to add to it.

I opened to a fresh page as I wondered where this new case would lead me. I couldn't help but think that somehow this case would surprise me with something I wasn't expecting. Something new and exciting that I had never dealt with before.

"So, where exactly were you when this happened?"

He thought for a minute as he chewed loudly on his food. "I think I was just walking into the building. Yeah, I remember, I had ran out to grab some lunch from a Subway down the street, it's a really good place, much better than that other one-"

"Alfred, you were in the building." This guy's attention span was getting on my nerves, but I guess I tend to do the same sometimes. We definitely had some common personality traits, but do _I_ really come off like this?

"Right, so I was coming into the building, and all of a sudden the alarm goes off. So I ran as fast as I could to find my boss, you know, the manager dude, and he's standing by the vault and it's empty!"

 _Typical bank robbery_ , I thought dully to myself. I was kind of hoping for something more exciting. "So, I'm assuming you checked the security cameras?"

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Of course we did."

"And what did the guy look like?"

I held my pencil in place, ready to jot down his answer but he didn't say anything. I looked up from my notebook to meet his bewildered expression.

"What do you mean 'what did he look like?" He said. "There was never anyone in the camera."

"What?"

* * *

 **Don't worry, Norway will make his appearance very soon, just be patient because there's gonna be a little build up.**

 **I hope I'm portraying the characters correctly, I'm afraid I might have exaggerated a bit with America, so if you feel someone's out of character, I guess you could let me know, but be nice about it, it can be hard sometimes :)**

 **I know a lot of people portray Denmark as a slob but I tend to think he's more of a neat and organized person. I mean, just look at how eco-friendly his country is.**

 **Uh, I think that's it for now. Don't forget to leave a review if you can, I'd really appreciate it. Tusind tak! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys are awesome, thanks for all your comments! I'm gonna try to update this as quickly as I can because I'm really excited about this story and I'm having so much fun writing it.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me :(**

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"See, no one even entered the vault room since it was last opened. How could someone possibly steal the money?" Alfred said, as we watched the camera footage.

He was definitely right, there was no possible way that someone could have stolen the money. After the last time the vault was opened, no one had appeared on camera for the next seven hours. After seven hours, the manager had entered the room and opened the vault only to find it empty.

"Hey, Alfred," I said as I rewatched the manager opening the vault. "Who's the kid with him?"

Alfred glanced back at the screen and shrugged his shoulders. "He's just one of those kids who come around to research career options. The manager likes to give them a tour and show them the vault."

As Alfred went back to playing some game on his computer (seriously, doesn't he have a job), I looked back to the video and replayed it again. I did this for about five more times, thinking that maybe I missed something, but every time it was the same.

"Hey, Sherlock," Alfred said as I hit the replay button for the sixth time. "Check this out."

He turned his computer screen towards me and gestured for me to look. I paused the video and looked over at the computer, it was open to today's _New York Times_ issue. I gasped when I read the headline; _America's Unknown Bank Robber Strikes Again in New York._

"Geez, doesn't this guy have enough already?" I heard Alfred say as I sprung out of my chair and grabbed my coat. "Hey, where you going, dude?"

But I couldn't answer him as I was already out the door. I smiled though as I heard him mumble something about crazy detectives. I had to get to that bank to see what had happened. I ran down the hall as fast as I could and of course I just had to bump into someone. It was that same guy who brought me to Alfred, the one who looked just like him. He kind of just appeared out of nowhere. He was holding some coffee before but now it was spilled all over the place, thanks of me.

"I'm so sorry," I said quickly as I inched past him, trying not to look rude. "I was in a rush and I didn't even notice you there."

He gave me a reassured smile and bent down to clean up the mess I made. "It's alright, most people don't."

I tried to think of something to say to make it a little less awkward. "Hey, I didn't catch your name before."

He didn't look up from his cleaning and said quietly, "Matthew."

I was now at the end of the hall and I hadn't quite heard what he said. "Uh, sorry, I didn't catch that." I really had to go. "Maybe next time, bye!"

With that I raced back down the halls trying my best not to bump into anyone else. I got a lot of stares as I zoomed through the bank like a maniac but they probably all thought I was one anyway. I didn't even bother with a taxi and ran the whole way to the bank which was just robbed. I came in sweaty and panting and I sighed in annoyance when I saw the police had already got there.

"Ah, Køhler, nice of you to join us." I whirled around and came face to face with Berwald. I groaned at the sight of him and I was sure he wasn't to happy to see me either. But, he was the one who had pulled me into this so this is what he has to deal with.

"Did they catch him?" I asked between breaths. He wasn't really paying attention to me as he watched his officers put up the yellow tape.

"They claim that no one even came in." He said.

"Did they check the cameras?"

He turned around to face me. "It was the same footage as we saw with the previous robbery. No one had ever entered the vault room."

"How did they figure out that they were robbed?" I asked as dozens of theories raced through my mind.

He gave me a bored look. "The manager found it empty when he opened it, what does it matter?"

I gave him a hard glare. "I need to see that footage."

* * *

Berwald showed me to the security room and got the video. "I don't know what you're expecting but I can assure you there's nothing of importance here."

"Just play it."

He sighed and pressed the play button. He rolled his eyes at me as I scrutinized the footage on the screen. He was right so far, no one had entered the vault room since it was last opened. Eventually, the manager appeared and I think my heart might have stopped beating for a minute as I saw who was at his side.

It was that same kid from the video from Alfred's bank.

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 **I know this was pretty short but I love cliffhangers so you might see a lot of those in this story. But I hope to make the chapters longer as the story progresses.**

 **I hope you guys like it and remember to leave some feedback if possible. Farvel everybody :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry to anyone who's been having problems reading this with all the deleting, reuploading and stuff going on but I think I fixed it. So it should be all good now :D**

 **This chapter is gonna be kind of short because I didn't really have time to write today but I wanted to put something up so here you go. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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"I need to see all the camera footage from every bank that was robbed, now!"

I glared at the officers stumbling around after my outburst trying to get me what I had demanded. Though it might have came off like that, I wasn't necessarily angry, I was excited. I was finally getting somewhere! I told you the police were useless.

"You don't give my men orders." Oh, Berwald. Why do you have to spoil everything?

I turned to face the devil with a smirk on my face. "But, if I can't investigate on my own, then you're going to have to provide me with my needs."

He glared at me, obviously not wanting to argue about this with me. He knew it was pointless since I would obviously win the argument, as I do every time with him.

So Berwald changed the topic. "Why do you even need those cameras. You saw two of them, they're all the same, no information whatsoever."

I was incredulous. How could he not have noticed it. Maybe he needs new glasses, his are kind of out of style anyway. "Let me show you."

One of the officers at the security cameras turned around. "We got the footage from all the banks."

"Excellent." I said, rubbing my hands together in excitement. I looked at the screen and at all the videos and randomly chose one. It was the security camera from a bank in Philadelphia that was robbed two weeks ago. I pressed play and motioned for Berwald to watch it.

For the first few minutes the video captured nothing, but then, just like the other two, the manager appears and guess who's by his side. Yup, you guessed it, that same kid. I smiled as I realized my theory was right. Now I knew for sure that this kid had something to do with it.

"What are you so happy about? And what am I supposed to be waiting for, this video is like all the others." Berwald asked me with annoyance in his voice.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Just watch two more." I selected another one, this time a bank in Las Vegas. Sure enough, almost the same video as before, the manager walks in with that unknown kid. I then showed one more, this one from a bank in Chicago. But even after showing him three videos he still hadn't noticed it.

"Will you just tell me what it is?" He asked, well, it sounded more like a command.

"How could you not have seen it?" He didn't answer, he just continued glaring at me. "Fine, I will just tell you since you're too stupid to figure it out."

"What did-"

"Look," I said, before he was able to continue. I pointed at the video on the screen where I had paused it at the image of the boy. "You see that kid?"

Berwald sighed. "It's just a random kid who happened to be caught on camera."

"No." I said frustrated. "He's not just any kid. Look at this." I pulled up another video and paused at the kid again. "Look at him, they're the same!"

Berwald leaned in closer to get a good look and squinted his eyes as he examined the boy on the screen. It took him a few minutes to analyze it. "Alright, as much as I don't want to admit it, you might be on to something."

Good. Now I just needed him to let me go off on my own a bit. "Well, I actually have an idea of how to get some information on him. But, I might have to go on without you."

"And why is that?"

Why did he have to be so nosy? "I'll just be blunt with you Ber. I really just want to do this on my own, without you and your stupid squad looking over my shoulder the whole time."

Well, he didn't look to happy to say the least, but at least he was thinking about and actually taking into account what I had just said. He must've realized that he didn't have much of a choice though, after all, I was his only chance at figuring out this case.

"Fine." I gave him a shocked smile and he immediately went all harsh on me. "But, you still have to report back to us with what you find, is that clear?"

Crystal clear. I was finally getting my own case, well, sort of. Now, to put my plan into action. You'd better watch out you mysterious kid or bank robber or whoever you are because detective Matthias Køhler is coming for you.

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 **Who's the kid and what does he have to do with all this? Guess you'll have to wait and see;)**

 **Random point here, have any of you guys watched "The Man From U.N.C.L.E " Is it just me or did it remind anyone else of America and Russia?**

 **Anyway, please leave some feedback. Tak! Farvel! Vi ses! Hav en god dag! Jeg elsker Danmark...og Norge :D (don't mind the random Danish nonsense which probably isn't even correct ;)**

 **Hej hej!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! I know you're all gonna kill me because this is an even shorter chapter than before. But I promise that when it gets more into the story chapters will be longer and a lot more interesting. This slow, suspenseful build up will all be worth it :)**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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After I was done at the bank, I came home to my apartment to think everything over. It was already dark outside but I didn't really feel like turning on any of the lights. It's a weird habit of mine but I think the dark helps me think better.

That kid on the camera was the only thing on my mind at the moment. I was positive that he played a crucial role in this whole scheme. I thought back to the videos of him and tried to remember if there was anything about him that stood out. But I couldn't remember anything. He just looked any other normal kid.

I then remembered that I had snuck home with me one of the videos when the police and Berwald weren't looking. Come to think of it, I'd probably make a good thief. Maybe in my next life.

I walked over to my bag which was sitting on the table and pulled out the smuggled video. I then popped it into my laptop and waited for it to load. They probably wouldn't even notice that it was gone, those stupid idiots.

After it loaded, I skipped to the part when the kid appeared. I then paused it and analyzed him carefully. The picture was a little blurry so he was a little hard to make out but it was doable.

I guessed he looked about fifteen or so, it was kind of hard to tell. His expression didn't say much either and I wondered if it was actually his choice to be there. His hair was a light blonde, almost white in color. His eyes though were unique, a light violet, rarely seen in the average person. His clothes seemed normal too, nothing out of place there. He held a pen and notebook in his hand as he probably had to take some notes if he was there for research.

There was nothing about him that could give me any clue of who he was. My last resort would be to just do it the old fashioned way; showing the picture around and hope for someone to recognize. But, I really didn't want to do that because then the criminal would know we're on to him. How could I go undercover and seek him out if he were to suspect something. He can't know that we're on his trail.

I sighed and scrutinized the boy once more, just in case something would magically pop up. And guess what? Something did! Alright, so it wasn't magic, it was there the whole time just I hadn't recognized it at first. There was something sticking out of his pocket, a piece of paper to be precise. Only the top of it showed and it's contents weren't very clear but I recognized the blurred logo printed on it. It was the logo for a certain bar here in New York that I happened to go to a lot. Why the kid had that was way beyond me, but I knew the owner of the place and he remembered everyone that came to his bar. I just needed to show him the picture and I would have the kid's name.

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 **He's getting closer...**

 **So what do you guys think so far? Are you getting bored, should I hurry it up or do you like the suspence?**

 **Keep leaving you wonderful comments, you're all amazing! Have a great day everybody!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yay! My chapters are getting longer! Hope you all enjoy it, I worked hard on this one.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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I opened the door to The Beerhouse bar and wasn't surprised to see it mostly empty. The place didn't attract many customers as it was at the end of an alleyway, not really the best place for a business if you ask me. Yet, they still managed to stay open.

I went up to the counter to find my friend, the owner of the place and practically the only employee, but he wasn't there. He probably went to the back as he usually did when business was slow. Once again, not very good for a business.

The owner was actually one of my only friends and he just so happened to be the brother of one of my "enemies," Ludwig Beilschmidt who worked for the FBI. He only opened this bar because Ludwig forced him to get some sort of job instead of just sitting in his basement all day. As much as he doesn't seem like it, he's actually a good guy once you get to know him.

"Hey, haven't seen you here in a while." I looked up as the owner came in through the back door. "Or maybe you just sneaked in here and I didn't notice you?"

I gave him a sneaky smile. "Maybe I did."

He laughed as he pulled out two beers from the fridge. "So, Mat, what brings you here?" He slid a bottle across the counter towards me and then opened the one in his hand.

I gladly took the beer, I could really use one right now. "Actually Gilbert, I'm here to see if you could help me with a case I'm on right now."

Gilbert took a drink and smirked. "Ah, was my brother not good enough for the job?"

Gilbert was one of the only people that agreed with my thoughts on the police. "I guess you could say that. The New York City Police, the FBI and the CIA all asked me to the case. How could I possibly turn down another chance to humiliate them?"

"Awesome choice, my friend." Gilbert said. "Now what could I possibly help you out with?"

I set my bottle of beer down on the counter and pulled out the picture from my coat pocket, placing it on the counter top in front of me. "This is from the security cameras in a bank that was robbed. I'm sure you've heard of that bank robber who's been on the lose lately, unless you've been to busy in that basement?" I added with a smirk.

"Very funny." Gilbert said. "I've heard of him. He's been robbing banks across America. He seems good, maybe I should get in touch with him."

"Gilbert," I said. "with your brother in the FBI and your best friend a detective, I don't think it'd be wise to mess with the law."

He sighed and took a drink of his beer. "Ja, I guess you're right. I'll have to figure out some other way to make money."

I took a drink of my beer as Gilbert stopped to think about something. "Hey," he said suddenly. "What if I become your assistant? Like your Dr. Watson? What do you think?"

I can't stand working with people. Even if it's Gilbert. I'm friendly and all and I get along with other people just fine, but I could never work on a case with someone else. I need to do it solo.

"No." I said promptly. He tried to give me a pitiful look but I just looked away. He had brought up the question numerous times before and was always left with the same answer. I don't understand why he keeps trying.

After a few moments of silence, Gilbert brought my attention back to the matter at hand. "So," he said as he looked at the picture I had taken out. "What do you need me for?"

I quickly turned back to face him again. "Okay, I need to figure out who this kid is." I pointed to the kid in the picture.

Gilbert looked at me quizzically. "And how am I supposed to help you with that?"

"Gilbert," I said. "You remember everyone that comes here, correct?"

He thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I guess I do. It kind of helps that there aren't many customers to begin with."

"Right," I pushed the picture towards him. "Look at that boy and tell me who he is. I know he came here because your business card that you give to every customer is sticking out of his pocket."

I watched Gilbert as he picked up the photograph and examined it. I really hoped that he could give me some information on this kid because if he couldn't, then I was going to be screwed.

"Well?"

"I remember him." Gilbert replied as he continued looking at it. "Mysterious kid but he was pretty nice. He came here once or twice in the past few days."

"But how did you let him, he's a minor, isn't he?"

Gilbert smiled as he put the picture down. "Oh Matthias, you should know me by now. I'll take any one that comes in here."

I opened my mouth to protest but he quickly interrupted me. "Don't worry, he only asks for coke anyway, okay?"

I looked at him in disagreement but didn't say anything else on the matter. There were more important things to deal with right now. "You said he's been coming here regularly, yes?"

Gilbert nodded. "He showed up about five days ago and has been coming in every few days since."

So he only showed up five days ago. That was when the first bank was robbed.

"When was the last time he came in?"

Gilbert took a moment to remember. "Uh, I think it was yesterday."

"What time?"

Gilbert smiled nervously as I started getting serious. "Uh, around four in the afternoon I'd say."

It all made sense. After the bank was robbed, the kid would run away and come here. But why? He was probably a part of the heist and didn't want to get caught. But why here? Maybe because of it's location. It's a great spot for hiding, a small, low quality bar at the end of an alley. No one would ever think of coming here.

I had an idea, but I needed Gilbert to work with me. "I need you to do me a favor."

To my relief, he agreed. "Sure, what do I got to do?"

"Not much." He frowned a little. He was probably hoping for more of an adventure but this was all I could give right now. "The next time this kid comes, you give me a call as quick as you can. Don't let him know and don't make him any bit suspicious. Got it?"

He saluted. "Yes, sir."

I sighed. "Gilbert, cut it out. I'm serious." He quickly brought down his arm. "You make sure he stays here until I give you a call saying he could go. Just keep him here until you hear from me. This is really important so don't screw this up."

"Don't worry, Mat, I've got this. Why would he want to leave my awesome presence anyway?"

I rolled my eyes and mumbled to myself, "I could think of more reasons than one."

"What did you say?"

I cleared my throat and looked at him innocently in the eyes. "Nothing. Just do this for me."

Now, all I needed was another bank robbery.

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 **Alright guys, next chapter is when the real action starts, I know you've been waiting.**

 **Thanks a lot guys for reading this and don't forget to leave a comment. Have a great weekend everybody especially because Eurovision is tomorrow! Yay :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! I've got nothing to say so enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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I spent the next couple of days roaming aimlessly around my apartment, just waiting for something to happen. I had a small fear that there wouldn't be another bank robbery, or at least here, in New York. I guess I hadn't really thought this plan through.

Berwald was constantly trying to get a hold of me but I blocked his number. Our deal was that I would tell him about anything I found out, but I didn't find anything out yet. Even if I had found something out, I probably wouldn't tell them, or at least not the whole thing. I'd leave some pieces out. I don't need them to help me, I could solve this mystery by myself. I mean, I am a professional detective, aren't I?

Well, much to my dismay, nothing happened for the next three days. I was thinking about giving up and going back to the drawing board but something on the television screen caught my eye before I could go ahead with that. I quickly sat down in front of it and gave it my full attention. There was another bank robbery and the bank was only a few blocks away from Gilbert. A smile started to form on my face as I reached for my phone. Any minute now Gilbert might call. And I was ready.

I sat there for almost ten minutes, my eyes fixed on the television screen but the rest of me was ready to jump out of my seat and run over to Gilbert. Those ten minutes were tense as I waited, but, finally, he called. I answered the phone so fast that the first ring wasn't even completed.

"Is he there?" I stood up and walked quickly towards the door, ready to go as quickly as I can.

"Yeah, and he doesn't look like he's in a rush."

I opened the door snd started running down the stairs. "Good. Keep him there until I call."

"Alright, but what are going to do?"

I jumped into my car and pressed hard on the accelerator. "It doesn't matter. I gotta go."

Gilbert started to protest but I quickly cut him off as I threw my phone down and raced down the street. My heart was beating pretty fast and I felt that an exciting adventure was imminent. This is why I do my job, for the exciting feeling of danger and adventure. And I guess also because criminals are bad and should be put to justice.

When I got to the bar, I parked my car as far away possible but still with the bar in view. I pulled out my phone and texted Gilbert, letting him know that it was safe to let him go now. My eyes stayed glued on the bar's entrance and my hands gripped the steering wheel. My phone buzzed but I ignored it thinking it was probably just Gilbert texting me back. I sat there for a few more minutes until I saw the door slowly open. I squinted my eyes to get a better view of the teenage boy leaving the bar. He had the same pale, white hair as the one from the picture and he looked pretty similar so I had no doubt it was him. I watched him look around the alley and I lowered myself a little in my seat though he probably couldn't see me anyway. When he saw no one was around, he quickly started to walk through the alleyway eventually making a left at the street. As soon as he'd turned I started driving slowly in his direction. When I approached the street, he was already at the end of the block and getting ready to cross the next. I quickly turned to follow him as it wouldn't look to suspicious to drive down those two blocks.

He never looked back as I was following him which was a good thing. His direction didn't seem very suspicious but I kept following him anyway. I noticed that we were in a more lower class neighborhood of New York and I was starting to wonder if this was where he lived and was just heading home, his "work" at the bank being finished. He then suddenly turned down a side street and I almost missed it as he did it without much warning. I was afraid he would notice my sudden turn but he never looked back and he didn't seem at all nervous.

I was driving pretty slow so he was a good few feet ahead of me. I watched him stop in front of an apartment building and he hesitantly walked inside. Now that I was out of his view, I parked my car a few feet away and watched the building for a couple of minutes. I couldn't be sure if this was where he lived so I waited, just in case he came out.

I was right as the kid came out a few minutes later but now he had someone with him. It was another kid and he looked to be about the same age. Unlike the kid with the white hair, this new kid was Asian with dark hair. They were talking so I opened my window a bit to hear what they were saying. The white haired kid was saying something.

"I really don't feel like we should be talking about this out here in the open like this."

"Relax," the Asian kid was now talking. "There's no one out here and besides Emil, my brother's inside so we can't possibly talk about it there."

I lowered deeper in my seat so that I could no longer see them but I could still hear them. So, now I knew that white haired kid's name. It was Emil.

"Fine, just keep it down." I heard Emil say.

"So you have the money?"

"Yeah, but I can't keep doing this, Lukas will find out eventually, Leon."

So the Asian kid was Leon.

"It's fine, Emil. You're brother's got loads of it with all those robberies. Besides, you're the one who's helping him so I think you should get a say in where some of the money is going."

So Lukas is the thief. And Emil is his brother who somehow is helping him by pretending to be researching bank careers.

There a few seconds of silence and then Leon started to speak again. "So, did your brother find an assistant yet?"

"No." I heard Emil reply. "He can't find anyone he likes, you know how picky he can be."

"Why does he need one anyone?" I heard Leon ask. "Isn't it too dangerous? What if they find out?"

"Lukas is good at keeping things secret. And he doesn't have the time to sort all the money and stuff."

"And how does he cover it up?"

"You know the empty shop under the building?"

I couldn't see what Leon did but I'm guessing he gave some sort of nod.

"Lukas bought it and made it look like an office for the fake company he owns and where he gets all the stolen money from."

So that's how he's hiding the money.

The two were quiet for a minute until Leon spoke. "Alright, well, thanks for the money Emil, and, be careful."

"I'm always careful. Don't worry. I got to go though so Lukas doesn't worry about where I am."

"Alright, bye. See you tomorrow."

I then heard the door open and then close. I assumed that Leon had gone inside. I could hear Emil's footsteps heading down the street and slowly rose back up in my seat. As I predicted, Leon was gone and Emil was walking away. I decided that I'd follow him home just to see where he lived. Now that I had more information, a plan started to form in my head.

The thief needs an assistant. Well, I think I might know just the guy.

* * *

 **I told you they'd get longer :)**

 **Hope you liked it and reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot guys. Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok, so this chapter originally wasn't supposed to exist but I didn't have a lot of time to write what I had intended to and I wanted to write something because I'll be really busy the next few days so this is what this is. It's really short, I know and it's kind of just summing things up. But when I have more time, I will write the next chapter that continues the plot and has the first appearance of Lukas! Yay!**

 **And sorry if this chapter sucks because after I wrote it I accidentally deleted it :/ I was so upset. And I thought about just not rewriting it and you'd all just have to wait a while but I quickly wrote it up again for you guys so hopefully it's not too bad as I tried to remember what I originally wrote but it was kind of hard. Anyway, go ahead and read it.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

When I followed Emil home I quickly wrote down the address so that I wouldn't forget it. It was already pretty late by then so I assumed that it wasn't a good time to apply for my new job. So, I decided that I'd come back tomorrow and apply then.

Though, when I got home a surprise was waiting for me. Berwald was waiting patiently by my door when I got there. I greeted him with a cheerful smile though he didn't seem to pleased to see me.

"Hey Berwald," I said as I walked pass him to unlock the door. "What are you doing here?"

I already knew the answer. He had probably realized that I had blocked all of his calls.

"Why are _you_ _not_ here?" He asked me.

"Oh, I was just out making some discoveries of my own." I said casually as I entered my apartment with Berwald following close behind.

"And did you find any discoveries?"

I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. "As a matter of fact, I did."

I gave him a smile as he looked about ready to explode. "And you didn't bother telling me?! We had a deal. Why did you block all my phone calls?"

He was right. I was supposed to tell him anything I found out, but when was I one to follow the rules? "Berwald, trust me, I have this all figured out. I found your thief and I have a plan to catch him, okay?"

He looked shocked. "You found him?!"

I nodded and started to empty the contents of my bag.

"Who is it?"

I sighed. He wasn't going to let this go. "I don't exactly know but the sooner you leave, the sooner I could go ahead and work on my plan."

He looked like he wanted to argue but decided against it. "Fine. But can you at least tell me how you're going to catch him?"

If that's what would get him to leave, then so be it. "This guy needs an assistant. So, I am going to go undercover as his assistant and try to get him to tell me what he's been doing or maybe even catch him in the act so you can have evidence and arrest him."

Berwald was quiet as he thought about it. "Not a bad idea. But this time, you'd better tell us everything you find out."

I nodded. This time I would. Nothing would be kept a secret, I'd tell them everything. I was going to get this Lukas guy arrested and put into jail in no time. I still don't know why it seemed so easy to me. Who knew it would be so hard to do.

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 **Yeah, I know it was really bad but you can review anyway :) this is what happens when you try to rewrite something at midnight after spending 4 hrs writing a research paper and then another hour writing a story which ends up getting deleted! Piece of advice, NEVER DO THIS!**

 **Ok, I'm like really tired now, bye guys. I promise next chapter will be better :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hej everybody! This is the chapter you've all been waiting for! So I won't keep you waiting. Let the story ccommence!**

 **Wait, I just have to remind you that I don't own Hetalia, you know, just in case you forgot that piece of information that I had only been mentioning for like the past eight chapters.**

 **Ok, now let the story commence!**

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The next morning I woke up bright and early ready to start my mission. Today was the day that I'd actually see this mastermind of a thief. I knew that it would probably take a while though before he'd actually reveal his strategies to me but the hope that he would made me all the more excited.

Now, don't think that I like the idea of stealing. I definitely do not. I think it's a horrible crime no matter what your reasons are. And I definitely do not think this criminal is a good person at all, he deserves to be caught and punished for his terrible crime.

But, on the other hand, I do get quite a kick out of seeing what these famous thieves do in order to steal their money. It fascinates me how these guys come up with this stuff. I have to admit, most of them are truly geniuses when it comes to these kind of things. And this one, this Lukas, was definitely one of them.

At nine o'clock I headed out to my car to drive over to the address that Emil had led me to yesterday. As I drove, I went over the plan in my head. I'd enter the office just like any other guy and I'd tell him that I'd seen his sign outside announcing an open job position. I'd give him a little back story, something about my current unemployment and how I desperately was in need for a job. The goal is for Lukas to fall for it and obviously hire me. Once he hires me, it's all downhill for him.

When I arrived at the address I parked my car right out in front. Sure enough, there was a sign posted on the window offering a secretary position for the office. Apparently, it was some sort of company manufacturing coffee which by the way, I had never heard of this brand of coffee before. Though, I wasn't quite sure why he'd make his office here. Was he trying to look suspicious?

After a few minutes of reading the sign I casually walked over to the door and entered the office. It was a fairly small room with a bunch of file cabinets scattered around. It definitely didn't look very professional.

"Can I help you?"

I jumped, startled at the sudden voice. I looked across the room where I had heard the voice come from. Next to the back wall sat a desk, completely covered in papers. A young man was standing beside it and he was giving me a cold look.

I quickly composed myself and gave him my usual smile. "Good morning. I couldn't help but notice that sign outside your window about a job opening here."

His expression didn't change as he silently moved to sit behind the desk. He sat down and continued to give me that cold stare.

"Are you looking for a job?" He asked me in a low voice. It sent shivers down my spine.

I didn't show my fear though as I continued to smile exuberantly. "Yeah, you could say that. You see, I lost my job a couple months back and let me tell you, I've been having a real hard time getting those bills paid. It's not easy when you don't have any money-"

"I know."

I stopped talking as he interrupted me. I wasn't sure what to make of that comment but his tone had altered a bit when he said it. Not very much, but I could hear a hint of sympathy in his voice.

It seemed like he didn't either know what to say because we both just stared at each other in silence for the next few minutes. I'm not sure why, but there was something about him that was turning me on. He stared at me with no expression, his thin lips formed in a straight line, no sign of emotion whatsoever. The little ray of sunlight shining through the crack in the blinds had fallen upon his face, brightening his pale complexion. His sharp blue eyes locked with mine and it frightened yet awed me when I saw how empty those eyes looked. It was as if I was looking through to his soul.

"It's not polite to stare."

Damn it, he did it again. I blinked my eyes a couple times as I tried to get out of my daze. I don't know what had just happened but this was definitely not how I had planned this to go. I had to fix this because he had to hire me.

"I'm sorry, not sure what got into me there." I laughed, trying to sound reassuring but I think I was really trying to reassure myself. Something felt different from when I had first walked in there. I'm not sure what it was but it was a somewhat uncomfortable kind of feeling.

"Do you want the job?" The blue eyed man asked me, his expression still the same as before. Whatever little sympathy that he had shown before was now completely gone.

I stuttered, almost forgetting what I wanted to say. I couldn't believe what he was asking me. He didn't even know anything about me yet.

"Yeah, of course. But, don't you think that was a little quick? I literally just walked in here."

He turned his eyes away from me and looked down at the papers on his desk. "What is there to know? All you need to do is organize some money, anyone can do that. The worst that could happen is that you actually have no idea what you're doing, and if that's the case then I can just fire you and hire someone else. So, tell me, what do I possibly need to know about you?"

Well, for starters, you should know that I'm actually an undercover detective working with the police, the CIA, and the FBI in order to have you arrested. But, as you said, all I need to do is organize some money and that information has nothing to do with that.

"I see. Uh, well, then I guess there is nothing you need to know except that I am very thankful to you for giving me this job and-"

"Leave it." He said bluntly as he stood up from his seat. "You start here tomorrow at eight a.m. sharp. Can you handle that?"

"Yup, I could do that." I gave him another cheerful smile in an attempt to lighten up the mood a bit. This guy was a really tough nut to crack.

"Good. Now get out of here because we're closing for the day."

I looked at my watch in surprise. "But it's only nine in the morning!"

He glared at me. "We don't have many employees and since I'm the only one here today we're closing because I have some place to be right now. So get out before I reconsider hiring you!"

Something was definitely amiss about this company. "Alright, I'm going. Just one question."

He sighed in frustration and said quietly, "What?"

"Who are you exactly?" I asked innocently, my hand on the door handle, ready to push it open.

"Who am I?" He paused and waited a few seconds in silence. "Lukas Bondevik."

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 **I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you guys liked it. Also, in the next chapters I'll probably be switching between different P. but I'll be sure to tell you exactly who's P.O.V. I'm writing from.**

 **Thanks for reading. Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, 10 chapters all ready!**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

"Who am I?" He paused and waited a few seconds in silence. "Lukas Bondevik."

My hand froze on the doorknob but I didn't turn back around. I didn't want him to know that I knew his name. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the same Lukas that Emil had been talking about and the same Lukas that had successfully robbed some of the biggest banks in America with out even leaving a single trace.

"Well, then, nice to meet you Lukas." I said as I began to open the door. "My name is Matthias Køhler and I'm sure it will be a pleasure to work for you."

I then got out of there as quickly as I could because I knew if I stayed any longer my excitement was bound to show through. I raced to my car and hopped in, quickly starting the engine. I couldn't wait to get to the police station and brag about it to Berwald's grumpy face. I had just found the most wanted criminal in the United States in just a matter of days when the top officials in the country couldn't do it even after months of searching. Am I a good detective or what?

* * *

 **No one's P.O.V.**

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Lukas watched the overly cheerful man open his office door and practically leap outside, running enthusiastically to his car parked just out front.

He can't really be this excited just over a job, can he? Lukas thought to himself as the car that just sat there a second ago was now racing down the street.

He sighed and walked over to the door that led to the house upstairs. He felt a little relieved that he had finally found someone to hire though he wasn't quite sure why Matthias seemed to be the one. It had definitely been a strange interview but he thought that maybe he was just nervous. After all, he was the most wanted man in America right now so he had a right to be a little paranoid. But, this Matthias guy didn't seem too bright so his nervousness decreased a little as he was pretty sure that Matthias wouldn't find anything out.

Lukas opened the door and heard a small yelp as his brother came tumbling through.

"Emil, why were you eavesdropping on me?" Lukas asked cooly as his brother regained his balance. When he did, Emil stood up straight and faced Lukas, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowling expression on his face.

"Why did you just hire him like that?" He demanded. "You didn't ask anything about him, not even his name. You have no idea who he is, where he comes from, who he knows, what his background is. For all we know, his former job could have been with the police!"

Lukas looked down at the floor, not wanting to see his brother's angry glare. "Emil, calm down. He's fine, trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Lukas didn't have to look up to know that his younger brother was seething with anger. "No! I'm not going to trust you! I'm afraid, Lukas. I really am. What happens if you get caught? I know you don't care if you go to jail but what about me? I need you here, as much as I hate to admit it, I do. I really do."

There was a tense silence in the room, the only sound was Emil's heavy breathing. Lukas snuck a quick glance at his brother and only felt more guilty when he saw his pained face and the tears that began to fall. But how could he explain it to Emil? How could he explain this assuring feeling he got when hiring Matthias. Something in his heart was telling him that he had made the right decision but he just couldn't understand it. It barely made any sense to him.

Lukas took a tentative step forward and pulled Emil closer to him, embracing him in a tight hug. He could feel Emil hug him back as his shirt became wet with his tears.

"I promise you Emil, everything will be fine. I'll be careful and I'll do everything I can to keep you, and me, safe. I promise."

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 **Matthias's P.O.V.**

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I walked into the police department feeling like the most important person in the world. Of course, everyone there wasn't too happy to see me but that didn't bring my mood down. I walked up to the secretary's desk like I owned the place.

"Hey Tino," I said as I approached the desk. "Is Berwald in? I've got some pretty big news to tell him."

Tino smiled his usual cheerful smile. "Of course, he's in his office. Go right in."

"Thanks."

I walked towards his office door and didn't even bother knocking. I opened it widely and stepped right in as Berwald looked up from his desk in surprise.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?"

I smiled slyly as I sat myself down in the chair in front of his desk. "Don't think I have. Care to tell me about it?"

Berwald sighed in annoyance and turned back to his computer screen. "What did you come to tell me?"

If he wasn't happy to see me now, then he sure won't be happy when I tell him that I solved his case that he'd been working on for the past few months.

"I found your thief." I said bluntly.

I watched amusingly as Berwald suddenly turned to look at me, a shocked look on his usually expressionless face.

"Tell me everything, Køhler."

I smiled and began to tell him how I'd found his brother and followed him which eventually led me to apply for a secretary job for the thief. I then told him about the interview, though I left out the awkward silence we had had and I didn't necessarily tell him how quick he was to hire me.

"And I begin working for him tomorrow morning." I concluded smugly.

Berwald had listened quite intently, even interrupted me a few times so he could jot some things down.

"And did you catch his name?" He asked, his eyes still looking down as he continued writing.

"Yes," I said. "his name is Lukas Bondevik." I watched as Berwald wrote that down too.

I wasn't quite sure what Berwald planned to do next so I decided to ask him just in case he was planning on taking the case back for himself.

"So, what do you plan on doing next?"

Berwald didn't look up as he still continued to write, what exactly, I have no idea.

"Well, I have his name and address so I'm pretty sure I could arrest him."

I gasped silently. He was going to arrest him, just like that? He didn't even have any evidence, aside from the videos with his brother, but that wasn't enough to put Lukas in jail. If he'd let me just go along with this undercover job then I could get him some real evidence. Evidence like the stolen money, a confession, maybe I could even catch him in the act.

"You're going to arrest him?" I asked in shock.

Berwald finally looked up at me, his stoic expression back on his face. "Yes. I'm sorry, Matthias, but it would seem that your job is done here."

I continued to gawk at him as he casually looked away and began typing something on his computer.

"But you don't even have enough evidence! So what if all the security cameras caught his brother on tape, that's not going to be enough."

I didn't even realize it that I was breathing really hard and my hands were gripping the sides of the chair so tight that I thought they made crack. Berwald then turned to look at me.

"No, it's probably not enough evidence, but I'm sure we could pull some strings." He then gave me a quizzical look. "Why do you care so much anyway? Why are acting all defensive towards him?"

I didn't answer as I realized what I had just been saying. I began to ask myself the same question. Why was I so defensive of Lukas? Why didn't I want him to go to jail right away? I didn't know, but something in the back of my head kept telling me that I shouldn't let Berwald follow through with his plan. There was something about Lukas that I needed to first figure out before he gets arrested. There's something more to all this that we're not seeing and I have to go figure it out.

"You're not going to arrest him right away." I said angrily. "Let me continue and get you the evidence you need. Understood?"

For once I was in the commanding position as Berwald reluctantly complied and let me go along with it. Why I was doing this, I still didn't know. But, whatever the reason, I knew it was the right decision and I knew that this would end well.

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 **I hope the different P.O.V's aren't confusing, but anyway, I hope you guys liked it and thanks for reading.**

 **Oh, this is something I forgot to mention earlier. I was asked who Leon was from chapter 7 I think, so just to clarify, he's supposed to be Hong Kong. I've seen that name used for him before so I decided to use it. Hope that cleared things up a bit. And I'm not sure if there will be any HongIce in this, so for now it's just a friendship.**

 **Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Good day everyone and thanks for taking the time to read this. And thanks to everyone who reviewed and are supporting this story, it means so much to me! I'm glad you all like it and I hope you like this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Hetalia.**

* * *

 **Matthias's P.O.V.**

At precisely eight o'clock the next morning, I stood right outside Lukas's office door. The door was locked and it looked pretty dark inside so I didn't have much else to do but stand there waiting. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was already five after eight. Lukas told me to be here at exactly eight but where was he?

I sighed and leaned against the wall as I looked around at the nearly empty street. It was pretty early in the morning so I kind of expected it to be this quiet. I looked around at all the little shops and houses that lined the street, wondering if their occupants had any idea that their neigbor was a thief. They probably didn't, plus the fact that Lukas had probably only been living here for a couple of weeks. Why was he staying here in New York anyway? From my understanding, he usually didn't stay in one place for too long. What could he be staying here for?

I stood out there for at least another fifteen minutes until I finally saw the lights turn on. I glanced inside and saw someone walking towards the door. It didn't look like Lukas though, it looked more like it might be Emil. My assumption proved to be correct when the door opened revealing the silver haired boy. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed as his hair was a mess and his clothes looked pretty last minute. A backpack was slung over his shoulder and I figured he must be going to school.

I flashed him a smile but only got a frown in return. I could tell by his facial expression that he wasn't very fond of me. Though, I couldn't really understand why as I'd never even met the kid. Maybe he just always looked at people like that, guess it runs in the family.

"Hi! I'm Matthias." I said enthusiastically, hoping to get at least a small reaction out of him. "I'm the new secretary for Lukas. He said to be here at eight o'clock sharp but he hasn't shown up yet. Do you by any chance know where he is?"

Emil looked behind him into the office and sighed. "Just go in. Lukas isn't a morning person."

Then why did he tell me to be here this early?

"Uh, okay." I said. "Thanks, I guess." But Emil didn't seem to care as he made his way past me and headed down the street. This kid was definitely an interesting one. I wondered how his role in the robberies helped his brother. How Lukas committed those thefts were still a mystery and I was dying to know how he did it already.

I followed Emil's instructions and went inside the cluttered office. The door in the back was closed and I figured Lukas wouldn't be coming out for a while so I decided to investigate a bit. I walked over to the desk and looked at the dozens of papers that were scattered on top of it. I picked one up from the pile, wondering if these papers would hold any information. To my surprise though, the paper was just made up of random sentences which didn't make any sense at all. It was like the paper was supposed to look like something important to someone at first glance, but really it was all just a bunch of gibberish. I picked up a few other papers only to find the same thing. I opened up the drawers but they were all empty. I searched the file cabinets and all the boxes strewn around but they were all either empty or held nothing important.

"Having fun?"

My head shot up from the box I was searching and saw Lukas standing in the doorway. He stared at me dully as he held a cup of coffee in his hand. I stood up, not really knowing what to tell him. Employees don't ransack their bosses' offices on their first day, do they?

"Did you find anything interesting yet?"

I gave Lukas a confused look as he took a sip of his coffee. "I didn't find anything."

Lukas rolled his eyes as he set his cup down with a thud on the paper covered desk. "Of course you didn't, idiot. We don't keep any of the important stuff here."

Important stuff? This just kept getting more and more confusing.

"Then, what do you do here?" I asked with maybe a little more curiosity than I should have because Lukas then looked at me strangely. I hoped that he wasn't thinking about it too much. My mission would fail if he began to suspect me of anything.

Lukas then looked away from me and stared down at the empty cup on the desk." This isn't the main headquarters of our company. This is supposed to look like a small branch of it."

"What do you mean by look like?"

Lukas looked up from his cup to stare at me. He looked as if he was considering if he should tell me something. He then made his decision and motioned for me to follow him as he began to walk towards the back door. I followed closely behind him as we walked through the door in silence. The door led to a narrow hallway with a staircase on the side. I followed Lukas as he headed up the stairs. The top of the stairs looked kind of like a small apartment. There was a small living room to the side which opened up into a little kitchen. A small hallway was to the other side and four doors lined its walls. This must be where Lukas and Emil live, but why here with all that money they've got? Even if they're using the money for something else, they could at least by themselves a somewhat decent apartment.

Lukas noticed me staring at the place and interrupted my thoughts. "This way."

I followed him as he turned down the hallway and past three of the doors. He stopped at the fourth and pulled a key out of his pocket. I watched in curiosity as he fumbled with the lock, eventually managing to open it. Lukas stood in front of the door as it swung open, blocking my view of whatever was inside. Without looking back at me, he crouched down to something on the floor, still out of my view, but now I was able to see the rest. It looked like a small closet or storage room as it was cluttered with boxes of sorts. I hesitantly approached Lukas as he busied himself with something on the floor of the room. As I got closer I could see it was another lock he was playing around with. I looked even closer and I could see that it wasn't just any lock, it was a code that he was putting in. It was the code to a safe. Lukas then finally unlocked it and opened the safe door slowly. My eyes widened as I saw its contents. The safe was overflowed with probably millions upon millions of dollar bills.

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 **Thanks for reading! If you can, please leave a review.**

 **Have a good day everyone!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys! How's it going?**

 **It was so hard to type this up because I was doing it on a touchscreen but I cut open my index finger on my right hand (I'm a righty) with a razor the other day so this was kind of annoying to type up. Don't ask me how I managed to cut myself like that, leave it to me to find a way! I seriously need my own computer already! Life would be so much easier...**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

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I stared wide eyed at the opened safe, shocked to see how much money was really in there. A plethora of green dollar bills filled the safe. It was obvious that all this money was stolen from the banks, but why was he showing it to me? I had a small hope that maybe he would just confess right there but I doubted that that was the case. He must have some other reason for doing so.

As I stared dumbfounded at the loads of money stuffed in the safe, Lukas kept his eyes on me, seemingly amused by my reaction.

"Remember when I told you that this isn't the main office of the company?" He asked me. I nodded, still pretending to look at the safe in disbelief. "This is where we keep our profits. We don't trust the banking system as they're too risky, especially with all the burglaries going on recently."

Ha! No kidding. You should know, you're the one committing them. I glanced at him to catch any expression on his face that would show that he was lying but Lukas stayed as stoic as ever. This guy was pretty good at this lying game.

"Then why do you make this place look like an office?" I asked, though I could already guess why. But, I had to make my act believable and pretending to be an idiot was pretty simple. If Lukas thought I was an idiot then there would be less of a chance that he would suspect me of anything.

"To keep thieves away, obviously." He said, slightly annoyed at my lack of understanding.

I wanted to laugh at the irony of it but I kept my cover and held it in.

"So, what kind of company is this, exactly?" I asked, finally taking my eyes off the safe.

Lukas crouched back down in front of the safe and closed it. He then began to lock it back up again. "We're a coffee manufacturing company, Braginsky Coffee Inc. Our main office is here in New York but the main manufacturing factory is in Moscow."

"Moscow?" I asked. Why would their manufacturing factory be in Russia of all places?

"The owner and founder of the company was Russian."

"Was?"

Lukas sighed, obviously annoyed by my never ending questions. "He died a few months ago. Now his sister runs the place."

He then muttered something under his breath though I couldn't catch what he said. I did hear the word psycho but that was all I was able to make out.

"And what your job exactly?"

"I handle the money, can't you tell?" He said. I knew this money couldn't possibly be from this company whether this company was even real or not. I made a mental note to check this Braginsky Coffee out later.

"So why do you need me?" I asked as innocently as possible.

Lukas closed the door and locked it. He then began to walk back down the hall towards the stairs. I followed him as we went back downstairs again.

"Every week or so we get a shipment of money from the main office to be locked up here. I don't usually have time to sort it out so that's what I need you to do. You just need to count the money and whatever else needs to be done with it. I think you can handle it."

"Oh, I can handle that. I love counting money." Boy, did that sound stupid. But Lukas didn't seem to notice as he kind of ignored my comment.

"May I ask what your previous job was?" He asked, catching me off guard. I certainly wasn't prepared for that question.

"I worked at a bar." I said quickly. It was partially true. I did help out Gilbert sometimes when it got busy which never actually happened as that place never got busy, but I needed something to say.

Luckily, Lukas seemed to believe it as he didn't continue the conversation. That gave me some relief as we walked through the back door into the office.

"Well, I don't need you today as all the money's been counted and put away. The next shipment should come this Thursday so I don't need you until then."

I wasn't too happy about that as that was two whole days that I wouldn't be able to get any information from him. But, on the other hand, it did give me some time to do some research on this Braginsky company.

"Alright then," I said with a smile on my face. I then began to walk towards the door. "I guess I'll be back on Thursday."

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 **No one's P.O.V.**

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Lukas stood quietly as he watched Mathias turn to leave. He almost wanted to tell him to come back tomorrow just so Lukas could see him. The man didn't seem very bright, but Lukas liked the cheerful attitude of his. For the first time in a while, he actually felt a little happy.

"Bye, Lukas!" Mathias said as he opened the door. He then turned away, closing the door behind him as he walked out to his car. Lukas didn't say anything back but as he watched Mathias leave, a small smile began to form on his face.

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 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everybody! Short chapter, I know, sorry. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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As I drove home, I thought about what I would do with the next few days off. It was kind of disappointing, not only because I wouldn't be able to investigate, but also because I kind of liked Lukas, well, when you forgot the fact that he was a criminal. True, we hadn't really spoken much and barely knew anything about each other, but I liked him in a way. But it's a strange kind of liking, not really so much as a friend, but, I can't figure it out. There's just something intriguing about him.

What am I saying? I'm trying to think of why I like the most wanted man in America. He's a thief, he belongs in jail. Locked up in a prison cell with none of the millions of dollars he had illegally got a hold of. My job isn't to befriend the man, I'm supposed to find evidence to arrest him. And I'm going to do everything I have to do in order to prove that he's guilty.

As soon I got home, I went to my computer and opened up Google. I then typed in Braginsky Coffee Inc, just to see how real this company was. To my surprise, the first thing that popped up was the Braginsky Coffee website. Without any hesitation, I clicked on the link and a very professional looking company website appeared on my screen. It looked like a typical company's website, nothing out of the ordinary. I clicked on a few different things from the website and everything seemed real. It listed the stores that they sold in and when I checked those stores' websites, they seemed to have that coffee brand in stock.

This meant two things; one, Lukas was lying that he worked for Braginsky Coffee, or two, Braginsky Coffee was not as innocent of a business that it made itself out to be. I wasn't though sure how I'd be able to figure out which one was right. I didn't want to go to the company itself and ask if Lukas worked for them because it would make him suspicious, and it would make the company suspicious if they really had something to do with this. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, not really sure what to do. I then jumped when my phone buzzed, interrupting my thought process. I picked it up and immediately brightened when I saw a text from Lukas.

 _"Someone from Braginsky Coffee is coming in on Thursday to talk about some stuff with me so you don't have to come in. So you don't have to come in until Monday which will be the next shipment."_

I stared at the text for a few minutes, debating if I should answer the text as an idea was beginning to form in my mind. If this coffee company was truly involved in illegal business, then this little visit was probably not going to be just about business. Whatever they were to talk about, it would definitely hold essential information and possibly very strong evidence. I needed to be at that meeting, but I can't allow myself to be seen. Lukas can't know I'm going to be there, which means Lukas won't be getting a response.

I'm going to be at that office on Thursday and I'm going to find out what's really going on behind all this.

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 **Hope you liked it! Please please please leave a review! Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! Sorry I couldn't update this as quickly as I usually do as I was pretty busy this week. Remember how I said in the beginning that this story wasn't going to be updated regularly? Haha! Thanks to you guys and your constant support this story is really flying, much quicker than I had ever imagined! So thank you guys for that.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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 **Lukas's P.O.V.**

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I stared at the phone sitting on the table in front of me, waiting impatiently for a reply that I wasn't getting. It's been twenty minutes since I've texted the smiling idiot that he'd have off on Thursday too, but he still hadn't answered to inform me that he'd gotten the message. All I could do was hope that he got the message and wasn't texting me back for a stupid reason because he couldn't be here on Thursday. He couldn't be here when Eduard came, it was too risky. If Mathias would overhear our conversation then I'd be doomed. It was better to just play it safe and not have him there at all.

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 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

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On Thursday morning, I was up bright and early, ready for my second day of work as I pretended that I'd never received Lukas's text a few days earlier. Today was the day that a new shipment of money was coming to the office, so of course I had to be there to sort it all out, as that was my job.

When I got to the office, I made sure to park in a spot that wasn't visible from the office window. The plan was for Lukas not to notice me until he had his so called meeting with the Braginsky Coffee representative. I'd wait in my car until the guy came, and then I'd go in. I'll just say I was running late or something. Then, once I'm in, I could eavesdrop on their secret conversation that Lukas obviously didn't want me to hear.

As I sat waiting in my car, my phoned rang. I picked up, it was Berwald.

"Hey, I'm kind of busy right now. Is this really important at all?"

"Of course it's important, you idiot!" I cringed as Berwald shouted over the phone. "Another bank has just been robbed literally ten minutes ago and we believe that it was Bondevik."

I furrowed my brow in confusion as I looked across the street at the office. Lukas's car sat parked in front and even Emil was walking out right now on his way to school.

"Uh, I'm not so sure about that Berwald. I don't think it was him."

I continued staring, trying to look for something that would convince me otherwise, but nothing seemed to stand out. I then saw a car pull up in front of the office and realized that this must be the man I was waiting for. This bank robbery would have to wait.

"Sorry, Berwald, but I got to go." I said hurriedly as I watched the car door open.

"But what about this bank? It had all the same things that his other robberies had-"

"I'll look into it later, okay? I really got to go. Bye." I quickly hung up on him and focused my attention on the young man stepping out of the car. He looked like a pretty innocent business man according to what I could see. He wore a plain suit and held a black briefcase in his hand. He looked a little on edge as he kept looking around him with his nervous blue eyes covered by his black rimmed glasses. When he got to the door, he knocked quickly, continously shifting nervously from one foot to the other. I noticed the relieved look on his face when Lukas opened the door and he quickly ushered the paranoid man inside.

I waited a few minutes until I couldn't see them through the big, glass window facing the street. I slowly got out of my car and headed for the office. Thankfully, the two weren't in the front room, they must have gone somewhere more private. I slowly opened the door, careful that it wouldn't make to much noise and catch Lukas's attention. He probably couldn't hear me anyway, but you couldn't be too sure.

I was able to unlock the door myself as Lukas had given me my own key the other day. I easily stepped inside the rather messy, unorganized office and quietly walked over to the desk at the other end of the room. To my surprise, sitting on the chair behind the desk was the black briefcase that man had walked in with. I quickly opened it up, curious as to what was inside. When I opened it, I found that it was filled with hundreds, possibly thousands of dollar bills. So, this must be the "shipment" Lukas had told me about. Did they always come in slick, black briefcases like these?

I closed the money filled briefcase back up as I thought about what I was going to do next. I then got an idea and picked up the bag. I quietly walked over to the back door and put my ear against it, trying to hear if anyone was behind it. I didn't hear anyone, so I slowly and cautiously eased the door opened, trying not to make a sound. I then made sure no one was out there and silently tiptoed over to the staircase. I took one hesitant step and then froze when I heard voices from up above. I didn't breath as I held on tightly to the railing so I wouldn't move, all the while listening intently to the conversation going on upstairs.

"It definitely went a lot better than past ones have gone." I didn't recognize that voice so it must have been the representative speaking. I then heard Lukas speak.

"Yes, I agree. I rather like doing it early in the morning, we should do it this way more often."

There was a short silence until the representative began to speak again, this time in a more nervous and uncalm voice, very different from the serious tone he had spoken with before.

"How long do you think she'll make us do this?"

She? Who's "she" and what's she making them do?

"I don't know Eduard. It's hard to tell with her. She's a psychotic bitch, that's what she is."

Ahh, so the representative's name is Eduard.

"Well, I hope she lets us go soon, Lukas. I can't take this much longer and neither can Toris or Raivis."

There are more involved in this?! What the hell is going on?

"Yeah, Emil's pretty worked up about it too. Let's try not to think about it so much for now. Where's the bag you brought with you? I could've sworn I saw you come in with it."

I couldn't help but smile as I looked guiltily at the black bag in my hands.

"Oh, I must have left it downstairs. I guess I'll go down and get it."

Wait! I wasn't ready! Don't come down yet! I frantically looked around for some place to hide but I knew it was useless. In a last attempt of concealing myself, I turned to the door for some sort of escape as I heard the footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Mathias, what are you doing here?"

I froze, one hand on the doorknob while the other slowly let the bag fall to the floor as I turned to see a shocked Lukas standing behind me with an utterly afraid Eduard shaking fearfully by his side.

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 **Poor Mathias, this just keeps getting more and more confusing!**

 **I hope you guys liked it! Reviews are appreciated, as always. Thanks for reading and have a good night!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello again! I really should be studying now but I'm in love with this story too much that I just couldn't wait to update it! And also, guess what guys! This chapter is like, extra long! Yay! Hope you guys enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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"Mathias, what are you doing here?"

Lukas was glaring at me but I could see the slightest hint of fear in his eyes. He knew that I had heard the conversation, or at least most of it. What I was going to do next, he didn't know.

I sighed and slowly turned to face him. The briefcase was now on the floor with all the money scattered around. Lukas stood with his arms crossed and Eduard stood beside him, shaking like a leaf. I chose my next words carefully.

"When I came into work today-"

"I sent you a text."

I stopped when Lukas interrupted me. He looked at me sternly, waiting for an answer. I had to think of something quickly.

"My phone charger broke yesterday and I haven't had a chance to get a new one yet, so my phone has been dead since last night." I said as innocently as I could as I casually rubbed the pocket that held my fully charged phone. "You should of called my house phone when I didn't answer. What did the text say?"

I smiled, trying to break the tense atmosphere, but Lukas still stood firmly in his place, his glare still fixed on me.

"Why were you coming up?"

I glanced at the open briefcase on the floor and then looked back at Lukas.

"I thought that was the shipment so I was coming to bring it up."

"And why didn't you?"

Why all these questions? These lies aren't easy to come up with.

"I was on my way up, but I heard you guys talking up there and decided to wait."

I shifted my gaze to Eduard as Lukas's glare was making me uncomfortable. Eduard had sort of calmed down now, his shaking had come to a minimum.

"You were trying to run away when we came down here."

How was I supposed to answer that? For what reason would I want to run away?

"I don't know. I panicked. I didn't know if you wanted me to hear or not."

Silence followed after that. Lukas looked like he was contemplating my answer and Eduard just stood there motionlessly as if he was mentally preparing himself for what was to come. I silently prayed that this would end well because to be honest, I was pretty nervous myself of what was to come. What if Lukas didn't believe me and fired me right there, or even worse, suspect me of investigating his crimes. I needed him to believe me because I needed to get evidence of this case so I could find him guilty.

"We might as well tell him."

Both mine and Eduard's head shot up suddenly, staring at Lukas in disbelief. Lukas noticed our shocked looks but ignored them as he kept his cool composure. He then turned to Eduard as if he sensed what the nervous man was thinking.

"Don't worry, he's no threat to us. Mathias is too much of an idiot for anyone to listen to him."

I was so relieved that Lukas didn't suspect anything that I didn't even care about the insults he was throwing at me. He didn't care that I had heard in on his criminal plans. Maybe he'd even elaborate more on them and give me more information. After all, bits of a conversation wasn't much to work with.

Lukas walked down the stairs leaving Eduard behind, who still didn't look to sure about the whole thing. Lukas didn't look at me as he began to collect the money on the floor and place it back into the bag. As he picked up the money, Eduard and I watched silently, unsure of what Lukas would do next. When he was finished, he picked up the bag and walked towards the door leading to the front office.

"Come on. We've got some explaining to do."

Lukas then disappeared through the door and Eduard and I hurried to follow him. In the office, Lukas placed the bag down on the desk and sat down on the adjacent chair.

"Eduard, your work here is done, so you can leave now." He then turned to me. "Mathias, sit down."

I quickly complied and sat down on a chair opposite the desk.

"Are you sure, Lukas?" Eduard asked. "I could stay if you want."

"I'm sure I could deal with this myself, thank you." Lukas said. "Besides, if you don't hurry back, who knows what she'll do to you this time."

Apparently that threatened Eduard as he then quickly left. I had no idea what Lukas had said meant, but it didn't sound to good.

We sat there for a few minutes in silence as Lukas watched Eduard drive away. He then started to speak, all the while keeping his head down as if he was trying to avoid my gaze.

"Mathias, you have no idea what mess you've gotten yourself into."

I didn't know what to say so I just kept quiet and waited for him to continue.

"This business is no innocent business, Mathias. It's a corrupted and dishonest business. It's owner is full of greed and hatred towards anyone who comes up against her. She's what makes this company vicious and she's the reason why I'm here, discussing illegal business with you right now."

I think he forgot the fact that I only heard snippets of his conversation with Eduard. If I really was as innocent as I pretended to be then I would have no idea what he was talking about.

"Uh, what illegal business are you exactly talking about?"

Lukas looked up at me in confusion. "What exactly did you get out of our conversation?"

I tried to think back to what I had heard and tried not to mix it up with the facts I already knew.

"I think it was something about how you did something in the morning and you liked it better that way. Oh, and some lady is making you do something and you mentioned some other names that I can't remember."

I looked at Lukas and I almost laughed at the dumbfounded look on his face.

"Is that all you got out of it?" He asked.

I nodded. It wasn't entirely true. I got a lot more out of it but I couldn't possibly let him know that.

He then sighed and sat up straighter in his chair. "Well, I guess I'd better tell you everything. You really are an idiot, aren't you. I thought you'd get a lot more out of that."

I ignored the insults again as this was the act I was trying to put on. Being an idiot in Lukas's eyes was probably the best for me in this situation.

"So what exactly is this horrible mess that I supposedly got myself into?" I asked. I was getting impatient as I wanted Lukas to just spill out everything to me right now.

"Emil, Eduard and I, along with a few others, are involved in illegal business. But, before I tell you what exactly we do, I need to make sure that you won't rat us out."

Lukas glared threateningly at me as I thought about his request. I already knew he was a criminal, but I was curious to know how he was going to make sure I didn't go inform the police on them.

"How exactly would you keep me from turning you in?"

"If you don't keep this to yourself, then I can assure you there will be consequences. Might I add, deathly consequences." He said pretty confidently. I can't say I quite believed him but I pretended to go along with it as my idiotic character didn't plan on turning him in.

I put on a fake frightened look on my face. "Deathly? Have people actually died?"

Lukas rolled his eyes as he must have thought I was the biggest idiot in the world. "Not exactly death, but pretty close to it. But, then again, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up killing someone."

I still had no idea who this _she_ was. Whoever _she_ was, she sure sounded like one hell of a psycho.

"Who is this person you keep mentioning?"

Lukas then shot me a death glare. "I can't tell you that until I know for sure that you won't inform the police about this."

I sighed and tried making it sound resentful. I knew exactly what I was going to tell him.

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 **Lukas's P.O.V.**

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"I can't tell you that until I know for sure that you won't inform the police about this." I said, trying to sound threatening.

As I thought about it, I really didn't know why I decided to tell Mathias all of this. I probably could've hidden it by making up some stupid lie, I had no doubt that he'd believe it. But something inside of me wanted to tell him. I guess I kind of needed to tell someone who was outside of the crime. Mathias just had this trusting vibe that came along with him. I felt that I could trust him with this burden I had to carry around.

I kept glaring at him as he sighed, almost sounding like he didn't really want to say what he was about to tell me. He didn't look at me as he spoke.

"Well, I guess if you're telling me your secrets, then I guess I should tell you mine."

What the hell? What secrets? What was he talking about? I didn't comment and let him continue as I was utterly curious as to what secret he had been hiding from me. A small shiver went up my spine as I remembered the conversation I had with Emil a few days ago.

 _"You didn't ask anything about him, not even his name. You have no idea who he is, where he comes from, who he knows, what his background is. For all we know, his former job could have been with the police!"_

I didn't want to think about what would happen if Emil was right. He couldn't be right. Mathias couldn't possibly have worked for the police. He didn't know anyone. He was safe. I could trust him. I knew I could trust him!

"I lied when I said I used to work in a bar."

My body started to tense as I heard what Mathias said. He lied about his job. What if Emil was right? What would I do?

"I didn't have any job before I came here."

Well, that was a relief. I relaxed a bit, now that I knew he hasn't had any assimilation with the police.

"I had just gotten out of jail before I came to you."

 _What?!_ This guy was a criminal? I looked at him in shock as he was now looking pleadingly at me.

"Please, Lukas," Mathias pleaded, almost begging me. "I was never successful in my robbery attempts. They all failed miserably. But now I found you, like by this miraculous coincidence. Your crimes seem so successful and so genius. Please, Lukas, teach me. I promise I won't go to the police, I want to learn from you. Please, Lukas-"

"Alright, that's enough." I said, holding up my hand to stop him.

I kind of felt bad for him. He didn't realize that he had the freedom to stop engaging in these illegal activities. He could go and get himself a real job and make something of himself, unlike me, who had to go into hiding because I was forced into this criminal world. But, at least now I knew I could trust him.

"Fine," I said. "I'll teach you."

Mathias's face lit up and I almost smiled at how happy he looked but I quickly stopped it from showing. I then stood up from my seat and picked up the bag of money.

"Go home and come back tomorrow morning. Then, I will tell you the truth behind all this."

I held the bag in my hands as I watched Mathias stand up. He turned to go to the door, but he stopped midway. He then turned towards me with a genuine smile on his face.

"Thanks, Lukas." He said softly.

His tone was very different from that loud voice I had grown accustomed to. Then, without warning, he walked over to me and hugged me. I stood awkwardly with his arms wrapped around me, the bag in my hands acting as a sort of separation between us. He then let go suddenly and turned to leave. I still stood shocked at his sudden gesture of appreciation. As I watched him leave, a feeling of comfort washed over me. I was suddenly longing for him to come back. I watched his car drive away and then looked back at the bag in my hands as I sadly remembered my current situation. I sighed, turned off the lights, and went back upstairs to my apartment.

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 **So, did you guys like it?**

 **I've got like nothing to say. You guys want to hear a joke? I think England would like this one: What do you call a thousand frogs? The French Army!**

 **Sorry, I'm just being random now. Anyway, don't forget to review and thank you for reading! Have a lovely night/day or whatever time zone you live in.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Guess what guys! I'm done with 10th grade! I'm now halfway through high school. And now, I have all summer to write, yay! So you guys can expect at least one update a week starting next week (because I have a pretty busy weekend and won't be able to update) but I'm going to try to write as much as I can this summer because I'd really like a lot of practice to improve my writing. My goal is to actually finish this fanfic by the end of the summer, so we'll see how that goals.**

 **I actually have a lot of goals this summer including becoming somewhat fluent in Danish, but my writing is definitely, if not my top priority for this summer.**

 **Also, this chapter doesn't have much action in it because I felt that I had to write a little bit of Mathias's thoughts and see things through his perspective, so I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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I jumped excitedly into my car and began driving home. I couldn't believe it! My little mistake of eavesdropping on Lukas's conversation wasn't so bad after all, it only got me further. Now I was openly in on the heist, I wouldn't have to investigate in secrecy anymore. Part of it had to do with that little lie I told Lukas about my fake criminal history. I don't know how I came up with that, it was all on the spur of the moment. But it worked! I just need to pray that Lukas won't actually look at my criminal records because I don't really have any! Maybe I can get Berwald to help me make some fake ones just in case.

As I drove, I began to think about what Lukas had told me so far. Tomorrow he'd tell me the rest though I still couldn't be sure that Lukas would tell me everything. But, now I knew that there were more people involved in this scheme, how, I still had no idea. I couldn't even figure out how Lukas fit in! Now, there was this Eduard guy and some other guys and some strange girl they keep getting all nervous about like she's the devil or something. But, Lukas did say he'd tell me who she was so hopefully I'd get that mystery solved tomorrow. Then, once Lukas tells me how they operate, I can report everything back to Berwald.

I smiled, satisfied with my plan for how to go about with it. I still couldn't believe how easy this had been. I had expected much more resistance from Lukas but he opened up to me pretty quickly. I guess it's just how everything turned out. Though, it seemed like he had a little trust in me, though he didn't necessarily show it. I guess my lie about my fake past really was believable.

I arrived at my apartment just when it started to rain. It looked like it would be a pretty big storm so I was happy I got home in time. I quickly when upstairs to my apartment and got out my laptop. Maybe the Braginsky Coffee website would be able to tell me a little of its history.

I opened up to the site and searched for somewhere where it would give me some information on the company. I had scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the page when I finally found it. I then clicked on it and read through it.

The beginning was a typical back story of any old company. Apparently this company had been in the Braginsky family for years, since the 1800's. It was created by a Russian immigrant but it seems that the family kept pretty close contact with their family in Russia for over the past two centuries. I quickly scanned through the rest until it got to current times. It said that the last owner of Braginsky Coffee Inc. was Ivan Braginsky up until a few months ago. The current owner was his sister, Natalie Braginsky. She must be that crazy owner lady that Lukas and Eduard kept freaking out about. She had to be! Maybe there was more about her somewhere else.

I typed her name into Google and numerous things popped up, mostly having to do with her new position as the owner and head of Braginsky Coffee. Because that's pretty much all that came up, I randomly selected one of the various articles. I read through it, not finding it very informative. All it said was that Ivan had died suddenly in his sleep from unknown causes and now Natalie was taking over the massive coffee manufacturing company.

I sighed and closed the laptop. I was pretty tired so I decided to call it an early night. I went to my bedroom, threw on a t-shirt and some shorts and plopped onto my bed. Though I was tired, I couldn't really fall asleep because there was too much running through my mind. I layed there on my bed as I tried to settle my thoughts down, the only noise in the apartment was the raindrops hitting the windows. Then suddenly, my thoughts went back to those last few minutes before I left Lukas's place. I remembered him telling me that he'd "help" me with my criminal activities and how I then hugged him out of "gratitude." Now that I thought about, I don't really know why I suddenly did that. But, to be honest with myself, I kind of liked it. I remembered the comforting feeling I got when embracing the criminal. I'd never had that feeling before. I suddenly began to realize how lonely I really was. Yeah, I had a couple of friends, but I don't think I'd ever go to them for comfort or personal problems. I really was on my own in the world.

But why Lukas? Why was it someone I barely even knew and who barely knew me. Why was it someone who was a criminal, a criminal that I was hired to arrest? What's so special about _him_ that makes me feel this way?

* * *

 **Just so you guys know, I don't usually write romance but I wanted to start. So, this is one of my first attempts at romance fanfics so we'll see how it goes. So, tell me what you guys think. Am I building it up too fast, too slow, or just right?**

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who is following this, favorited, and reviewed. I'd hug you all if I could, unless you're Japan ;) Speaking of Japan, I was writing my friend a goodbye letter and she's obsessed with Japan and everything Japanese so I thought it'd be cute to start the letter with konichiwa and end it with sayonara. But when I was ending it I accidentally thought goodbye was arigato and I wrote that and she's like, why did you write thanks at the end? Embarrassing moments :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry this is late. I was busy.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

I was sitting across from Lukas in the small living room in his apartment upstairs. I was giving him my upmost attention because I didn't want to miss anything important he might happen to tell me. To him though, the reasoning for my intent focus was because I wanted to learn the secrets of how to be a successful thief. I still couldn't believe how I came up with that ingenious idea. It was obvious that luck was on my side that day.

"Don't get your hopes up because I'm not going to tell you how everything works. A true thief never reveals his secrets." Lukas said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

He had that same dull look on his face that I had already become so familiar with. Come to think of it, he actually looked kind of cute like that. Wait! I didn't mean to think that! He was looking at me strangely now. He must've noticed that horrified expression on my face. I was never very good at hiding my emotions. Lukas seems to be an expert, maybe he can give me some pointers.

I should probably say something so he'll stop looking at me as if I'm crazy. He probably thinks I am anyway, but that's not the point.

"I thought it was a magician that never revealed his secrets." Way to go, Mat. Now he really thinks you're an idiot.

Thankfully, Lukas didn't comment on it and immediately went back to what he was saying.

"Before you showed up here there were four people involved in this. Me, Eduard, and two others named Toris and Raivis." He paused. He looked like he was debating on telling me something. He must've decided to tell me because he continued again. "Actually, there were five people involved but the fifth managed to get away and he closed off all contact with the rest of us."

He got away, like he escaped? He was making it sound like a life and death situation.

"What do you mean he got away? It's not like robbery is mandatory."

Lukas rolled his eyes as if to say that I wasn't following what he was saying. "That's the catch, Mathias. Our robberies are mandatory. We are being blackmailed to do it."

Blackmailed? Did this mean that Lukas wasn't robbing banks for his own benefit? But who would do that and why? Maybe it was over love? He could have some ex girlfriend blackmailing him. No, that probably wasn't it because then why would the others be blackmailed? I wonder if Lukas has ever been in a relationship? He is pretty hot-

"Mathias!"

"What?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Was my staring really that obvious? I really am horrible at this masking emotions thing. Why am I thinking like this?

Meanwhile, Lukas was still waiting for a reply. I quickly mustered something up. There's something I'm an expert at.

"I just wasn't expecting that."

There was a tiny look of amusement in his eyes, but I tried to look away from him as he was making me a little nervous.

"What? You don't think I look like someone who would have done something to be blackmailed for?" Lukas asked sarcastically.

No. You don't, but you do look like someone who I wouldn't mind- okay, enough! I've got to get out of here. Something is seriously wrong with me right now. I can't keep myself focused on what he's saying.

Thankfully, Lukas began to continue where he had left off. "To put it briefly, the five of us are being blackmailed for something I'd rather not discuss right now, and this is what we have to do to keep our secrets hidden."

He paused and waited for a reaction, but I stayed quiet because I just wanted him to hurry up so that I could get the hell out of here. He noticed my silence and went back to his explanation.

"The fifth man wasn't as involved as we were. Most of the blackmail was because of the rest of us, so the fifth one managed to get out of it. The one who's making us do this didn't really pay much attention to him because he wasn't that important."

Alright, Mathias, just keep it going like this and it'll be fine. Just focus on the information. That's what you came for anyway, right? Berwald wouldn't be too happy if he didn't get any new information. But, then again, when is Berwald ever happy?

"Okay. I get it. Anything else you wanted to tell me?"

Lukas continued to stare at me as he thought to himself. There was probably a lot that he wasn't telling me, but this would do for now. He did have something else to tell me though.

"I'm not telling my boss that you know about this." He said seriously. "You'll just have to keep that secretary job so there won't be any suspicion."

I smiled. "Of course. No problem." I quickly stood up as I was now more uncomfortable than ever with his presence. "But, if you don't mind, Lukas, I really need to get going. I forgot that I had a dentist appointment today."

Lukas nodded and I quickly left the room and went downstairs. I needed to get out already. Maybe a drink would help whatever I'm going through right now. Gilbert should probably be open now, I could head over there.

I was already at the door now and just about to step outside when I heard Lukas call my name. I turned around and there he was standing in the doorway.

"Don't forget to come to work tomorrow." He didn't have to elaborate as we both understood what that meant now.

I smiled at him and turned once again to leave. I heard my name again and slowly turned back around. Was he trying to make more uncomfortable?

When I saw the look on his face, I figured he probably wasn't. It was a look of fear, maybe nervousness. It was a look I'd never seen on Lukas before.

"Promise me you won't accidentally let anything slip." He said. Though he tried to make it sound harsh, I could hear the fear in his voice when he said it. He still didn't fully trust me.

"I promise you, Lukas. Nothing we talked about is leaving this idiot's mouth."

He nodded and then left the room. I stood at the door for another minute though. I made a promise to him that I knew I couldn't keep. I felt guilty about it, but why? I've lied to him plenty of times all ready. Though, now as I was thinking about those lies, I felt pretty guilt about those too.

* * *

I felt a lot better now as I was standing in front of Gilbert's little bar. My desire for a beer was getting stronger so I entered the bar and upon seeing that it was empty, I felt even better. Gilbert was sitting at the counter drinking a beer and brightened when he saw me.

"Hey, look who decided to visit me."

I laughed and took a seat at the counter.

"What can I get for you?"

"Just the usual. I've been dying for a beer all day."

Gilbert smiled and went to get me a beer.

"Here you go."

I took it and almost drank the half the bottle in one go. Gilbert looked shocked as I placed the half empty bottle back on the counter.

"You really meant it when you said you were dying for one, Mat! Tough day or something?"

I sighed as I remembered the thoughts that had filled my mind during my conversation with Lukas. "You could say that."

For once, Gilbert actually looked a little sympathetic as I sat there solemnly.

"What happened? Maybe I could help. It's not like I have anything better to do. I mean, look at this place. It's empty! You were the first one to step in here today."

I smiled at that. I knew I could always count on Gilbert to cheer me up, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell him about how I was feeling. I doubted that he'd be able to help me because I didn't even know if there was anything wrong with me. But I really needed to get it off my chest, so maybe I could just tell him so I wouldn't have to worry about it on my own.

Gilbert waited patiently as I took another drink. I then proceeded to tell him everything. I told him how I'd get all nervous and uncomfortable around Lukas and the strange feelings I got when thinking about him. I told him of our conversation today (not the actual conversation but the conversation I had with myself in my head) and how I felt guilty making him a promise I couldn't keep.

When I finished my crazy rant I actually felt a little better about it. I guess talking about your problems really does help. I picked up my almost empty bottle and drank the rest. Gilbert had been silent the whole time, listening intently to what I was saying. He then said something completely unexpected.

"It's simple Mathias. You're in love."

I choked and spit out my drink. "What?!"

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you can.**

 **Also, some of you liked my joke from last time, so here's another one:**

 **What do French recruits learn in basic training? How to surrender in 17 different languages.**

**Sorry about all the French jokes, I'm not anti-France or anything but their jokes are too funny! I'll try a different nationality next time. Anyone got any suggestions?**

 **Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

Me? In love? With Lukas? No.

I sat there with confusion etched on my face, wondering if Gilbert's words had any true meaning to them. The idea of love had never crossed my mind before making it virtually impossible for me to believe that that was the case. Could these really be symptoms of romantic feelings? I had no experience with true love, so maybe Gilbert was right and these were simply signs that I was falling for America's most wanted criminal.

"Do you think he likes you back?"

I snapped out of my reverie as Gilbert's sudden question reminded me of where I was. He had a good point there. Even if I did have a crush on Lukas, it would never work out anyway. I had no doubt that the stoic man had no feelings for me whatsoever, except for maybe the occasional feelings of annoyance and irritation. During all of my interactions with him, I had never shown Lukas my real personality and my true qualities. He had only seen my superb acting skills, but he didn't even see them as acting but as for who I truly was to him. I had no chance at love with a character like that.

"I highly doubt it." I answered glumly as I twirled the empty beer bottle around on the countertop. "All he sees in me is a stupid idiot who can't keep himself out of jail anyway."

I noticed Gilbert's confused expression at the remark, but I paid no attention to it as I didn't really want to explain the whole fake backstory I had given Lukas. He then perked up as a thoughtful look came on his face.

"You know, even he doesn't like you now, I'm sure you could win him over."

If it was anyone else, I would, but this was Lukas. I'm going to end up being responsible for putting him in jail, so why would I try to start something that will soon end?

"He's a criminal, Gilbert." I emphasized the word criminal as if it was some horrible disease that I didn't want to catch.

Gilbert didn't seem to get the hint. "So?"

I sighed and looked him hard in the eye. "And I'm a detective. A detective that was hired to arrest him."

"Oh, I didn't take that point into consideration." Yeah, no kidding.

Gilbert then thought of something else. "When someone is truly in love with someone else, they're willing to make sacrifices just so they can be together."

I stared at him strangely as if his personality had just completely changed. Since when was Gilbert an expert on love? And why exactly was he telling me this?

"What's your point?"

He rolled his eyes, frustrated that I didn't understand what he was getting at. "If you are truly in love with Lukas, then you'll find a way to make that relationship work. I can't help you with that. You'll have to figure out what to do on your own as it all plays out. You'll have to make those decisions."

Decisions? If I want Lukas then I have to make decisions which might contradict the whole reason I met him in the first place. If I want this to work out then I'd have to keep him out of jail, but that would be going against the law. I'm a detective for heaven's sake, I catch people who break the law, not keep them out of jail. Loving Lukas would be a crime. It would be illegal! But, in law over love, which is more important? I wanted to go with my gut feeling, which was telling me to follow the law, but my heart felt like it was telling me otherwise, to follow love. Why did love have to be so complicated?

"Mat? Are you okay? You've been deep in thought like that for quite a while and it's creeping me out."

I looked up to find all the seriousness gone from the look Gilbert was giving me. He was back to his usual immature self now. I'd have to think about this more on my own later.

"I'm fine, just thinking about, you know, what you said." He nodded in understanding and began to clean up the bar.

It was getting late and I probably should start heading home. My phone then buzzed and I took it out of my pocket with reluctance. I really wasn't in the mood of talking to anyone. My sour mood only worsened when I saw who was calling.

"Hi Berwald, what do you want, I'm kind of busy." I said, not even trying to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"I hope you're not too busy." He replied. I could hear the tiniest hint of excitement in his voice as if something exciting was going to happen later. I wonder what could excite Berwald? "I'd like for you to come by in the next few minutes, so that we can discuss any progress that you have made."

Without even thinking about it, I replied with an automatic yes, and told him that I'd be there as soon as possible. I hung up and slowly stood from my seat, wondering what I was going to tell Berwald. If I wanted to do my job then I'd have to tell him why Lukas was committing all these robberies. I'd have to tell him about the others who are involved. If I told him, then the case could possibly end. I had no doubt that Berwald would start looking into the company right away and he was bound to find something. It would only be a matter of days before Lukas would be behind bars, my chances of romance all gone. But what if I didn't tell him everything. Maybe this was one of those decisions that Gilbert was talking about.

"I'll see you around Gilbert." I said as I opened the door to leave. "Thanks for the advice."

Gilbert paused what he was doing to wave goodbye. "No problem. Feel free to stop by anytime."

I was about to leave when something came across my mind. "Hey Gilbert, since when were you such an expert on love advice?"

He smirked. "I know some people."

And that was all I needed to know. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to hear who these people were.

* * *

I spent the whole drive to the police department wondering what I was going to tell Berwald. On the one hand, I really wanted to tell him what I had figured out because it would be an awesome way for me to boast about how superior I was to him. But on the other hand, I'll be ratting out on Lukas. But wasn't that my job? Wasn't I hired to find evidence that he was guilty?

Yes, sadly I was. And as much as I hated to admit it, Lukas is a criminal. He's a thief. How could I love someone who breaks the law like that? But was he really a criminal? He was being blackmailed, wasn't he? That being considered, it was really his boss that was blackmailing him who was really at fault here. Looking at it that way made me kind of want to keep Lukas out of jail. If Lukas actually had a say in this, then he probably wouldn't have agreed to it. So, perhaps Lukas wasn't really a criminal.

* * *

I arrived at the police department and headed straight for Berwald's office. I gave Tino my usual cheerful greeting as I passed by his desk. His apparel grabbed my attention though. He was dressed in a suit much too fancy for a secretary to wear casually.

"What's the occasion?" I asked.

Tino looked at me sheepishly. "Berwald asked me out. We're going on a date tonight."

I knew something was going on between those two! Still couldn't believe though that Berwald actually gained the courage to ask Tino out. That's why he sounded so unusual on the phone.

"Well then, I hope it goes well."

Tino muttered a thanks as I knocked on Berwald's door. I heard a mumbled "come in" and entered. Instead of his uniform, Berwald was dressed in a suit as well, obviously for his little date with Tino. Though I hated him, I couldn't help but feel a bit happy for him. He was never very good at being social.

"Sit down and tell me what you've got, if you've got anything." Berwald said. He didn't even bother to look at me when I came in. Apparently his computer screen was more important than anything I had to say.

"Well, he now thinks I'm a former criminal and that I want him to act as my mentor on the art of thievery."

I held my breath as Berwald looked away from his beloved computer screen to give me the "are you crazy" look. How was I going to explain this?

"It's fine, don't worry. It's better this way because now I can openly listen in on his plans." I said frantically. "Now I don't have to do it in secret."

Berwald continued to stare for a few more seconds as if he wasn't sure to believe me or not.

"Alright, but did you actually get any information?"

There it was. That dreadful question. To tell him or not to tell him. If I tell him, then Lukas is done for and so are his partners in crime. Except for the fifth one though. Lucky for him that he managed to get away, but that doesn't help Lukas! He's not really guilty, he's doing this against his own will. I couldn't let him be punished for something that he didn't want to do. Damn you, whoever is blackmailing Lukas! He doesn't deserve this.

"He's being blackmailed to do this."

"And do you know who's blackmailing him?"

I froze. I can't tell him. I can't send Lukas to jail. I've given Berwald enough information for now, right?

"No. He didn't tell me who."

Berwald sighed. "If you knew who was blackmailing him then we could have gone further with this."

Phew. He believed me. Don't worry, Lukas, you're not going to jail just yet.

Berwald then stood up from his chair and grabbed his jacket. "If that's all you know, then I might as well be going."

There was something pondering on my mind that I just needed to get clarified.

"Uh, Berwald, before you go, I just have a quick question."

"What?" He said absent mindedly as he buttoned up his coat.

"Because Lukas is being blackmailed, would he still get arrested for robbery even though he sort of did it against his own will."

If Berwald found my question any bit suspicious, then he didn't show it. "Of course. He still did it. He could've came to the police."

That wasn't the answer I was hoping for. I stayed seated as Berwald grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

"Goodbye Mathias. Try to get some more information. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date to attend."

There was a small smile on his face when he said it. Then the phone on his desk rang. The smile then disappeared, his usual frown taking its place.

"Never mind."

As he went to answer the phone I took the chance to leave. I walked out and passed Tino again who was now standing nervously, waiting for Berwald to finish his phone call.

"Have a good night." I said as I walked by.

"Wait, before you go, could I ask you something."

I spun around when Tino asked the question. He seemed nervous about something, maybe it was just his upcoming date with Berwald.

"Sure." I said, giving him a big smile. He didn't seem to loosen up though.

"I heard you found the criminal, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

He looked like he was trying to avoid eye contact with me, but was finding it extremely difficult.

"Do you think he'll be found guilty?"

I never thought Tino would be interested in crime, but I guess it turns out I was wrong. Maybe he was just curious. What caught my attention though was the almost concerned kind of voice he was speaking with.

"Yeah. He should be behind bars pretty soon. His bank robbing days are numbered, nothing to worry about, Tino."

Though, I knew better. I only said that to put the concerned man at ease. Lukas wasn't going to jail any time soon, I'll make sure of that. If Gilbert's love theory is correct, then so be it. One day, Lukas will see the real me, and maybe then I'll have a chance. But, for now, I'll just have to work on how to stall for time. How was I going to hide Lukas's information from the police without making anything look suspicious?

* * *

 **Yay! Mathias realized his true feelings for Lukas! Hopefully Lukas will feel the same.**

 **Tell me what you guys think!**

 **And here's another joke! It's not really a joke, just a funny thing I found that Danes say about Swedes:**

 ** _"Keep Denmark clean - show a Swede to the ferry."_**

 **Farvel everybody!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

I didn't sleep very well last night as I was too busy worrying about what I was going to do. Telling Berwald about Lukas's information was not an option. I had to somehow keep it hidden, but for how long could I keep that up? I can't hide it from the police forever. Eventually, they're going to realize that I'm not helping with the case and then they'll probably take the case into their own hands. True, they didn't have evidence that Lukas was guilty, but they could still arrest him as a suspect. I'll have to think of something.

When I got to the office, Emil was already leaving for school. He didn't even acknowledge me as he passed right by me, not that I expected him to. It seemed that he still had some sort of problem with me. Oh well, I can't please everybody.

Lukas was on the phone when I came in. He nodded at me when he saw me and gestured for me to wait. I watched silently as he paced back and forth across the room, listening intently to whoever was speaking on the other line. After a few minutes he bid goodbye to the caller and hung up the phone. He then walked quickly over to the back door to go upstairs and I hurriedly followed him.

"You're late." He said as he ascended the stairs.

I glanced at my watch. It was only ten past eight.

"And hello to you too."

Lukas paused at the landing and turned around. He gave me a bored look and then turned back into the apartment. He went into the small kitchen and began to make himself a cup of coffee.

"So, who was that on the phone?" I asked as I followed him into the kitchen.

Lukas didn't look up as he continued to make his coffee. "My boss. We're doing another robbery tomorrow."

We? Was he bringing me with him? I mean, I did tell him that I was a criminal and wanted to learn all his secrets, but was he actually going along with this? He didn't seem like the type to want someone like me around when he was committing a robbery.

I sat myself down at the kitchen table. "When you say we, do you mean you and-"

"Eduard, Raivis, and Toris."

I could see the smirk on his face as he turned away from me in order to hide it. He knew what I was going to ask. A part of me felt a little relieved that he wasn't planning on taking me. It made the police have less of a chance of noticing me, but the other part felt slightly offended. Maybe he really didn't like me. Maybe this whole thing is pointless, and I'm really wasting my time with him. I have to find out if he likes me back, but how?

"We set the robbery for eleven a.m. tomorrow." Lukas said as he placed his cup of coffee on the table and sat down across from me.

"Where?" I asked.

"The Bank of America three blocks down."

I knew where that was. I found it sort of unbelievable that I was actually getting information on Lukas's next robbery. The right thing for me to do would obviously be to tell Berwald and warn the police and the bank. I could have Lukas arrested tomorrow if I wanted.

But I didn't want that. I wasn't the same man I had been when Berwald had first called me and told me about the job. Back then, all I was concerned about was making sure criminals got arrested, but now, I was in love. Oh, how love can change your perspective on everything. To think that something like love could manipulate me to do things I'd never even consider doing. And yet, here I was helping a bank robber stay hidden from the police, all because I loved him.

"So, do I need to come in tomorrow?"

I was expecting a no, but surprisingly Lukas had other plans in mind.

"Actually," He began. "I do need you to come in tomorrow."

He paused and looked down at his now empty cup as if he was trying to avoid my gaze. He seemed a little nervous, though I wasn't sure why.

"And what do you need me for exactly?"

Lukas didn't answer right away. If I was to guess why, I'd probably say it was because he didn't really have a good enough reason for me to come. It seemed like he was racking his brain for a reason.

"You can sort the money when we get back." He said quickly.

Something was telling me that that was a lie. There was a different reason as to why he wanted me here. A reason that he didn't want to tell me.

"Well, then, I guess I could." He seemed pleased to hear that. I could almost hear his sigh of relief. "But, why do you need me if you have those other three guys? What are they busy doing?"

I could sense Lukas's patience was running out. I don't think he wanted to talk about this much longer.

"They have other things they have to do." He answered briefly.

"What about Emil? Is he a part of this?"

I already knew that answer, but it couldn't hurt to hear the details.

"He was." Lukas said. "Not anymore though. I don't want him being involved anymore."

"What did he do?"

I felt a little guilty for asking all these questions as Lukas was clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"He wasn't all that important. He just made sure that the bank realized that they were robbed."

"You mean the kid caught on the video cameras?"

I couldn't have blurted it out any faster. I internally panicked as I realized what I had said. Lukas looked like he was panicking too, but obviously for different reasons.

"How did you know about that?"

Think Mathias, think. You don't have to give yourself away now.

"I read it somewhere in a newspaper, I think." Aren't I a genius? "It said something about the police finding the same kid on the security cameras of the banks that were robbed."

I was dancing for joy inside as Lukas relaxed. I think I handled that pretty well.

"Did the police really figure that out?" Lukas asked sarcastically. "I didn't think they had it in them to come to that realization. I wonder which genius over there had to point it out to those idiots."

Oh, you're looking right at him.

"So, that was Emil?" I asked in order to confirm the information.

Lukas nodded. "Yes, but I'm not using him anymore. He shouldn't have to deal with this."

Lukas was looking away right now. His gaze was set on the window nearby, a thoughtful expression fixed on his pale face. It was another rare expression that he seldom showed. I wish he would show his emotions more. It made him look much more alive.

The silence was then broken by my phone buzzing. Lukas turned to look at me and I apologized as I pulled out my phone. He nodded and then turned back to the window, the thoughtful expression slowly fading into his usual stoic look.

I mentally groaned when I saw that it was from Berwald. The text was short, but it reminded me of my current situation.

 _If you get any information today, come see me immediately. If not, then don't bother._

I had information, and very useful information at that. But I wasn't going to tell him. He doesn't have to know that Lukas and I were having this conversation, and ironically at the exact moment he texted me.

"Uh, Mathias." Lukas said abruptly, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

He sounded a little nervous, but tried not to let it show through.

"I think we're going to have to cut this short. I kind of have somewhere to be."

Well, this was very unlike Lukas. Did he know that he had somewhere to go today because if he did, then why did he tell me to come today? Aside from informing me of his robbery schedule, what was his purpose for making me come today? I decided to let it go for now as I probably questioned him enough today.

"Alright. I guess I'll be going now then. See you tomorrow."

I got up from my seat and led myself out, leaving Lukas to stare after me as I left.

* * *

 **Sorry it was less than usual, but I hope you all liked it. And I just want to thank all of you for your reviews and thanks to all of my followers.**

 **Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Wow! We're on chapter 20, guys! How awesome is that?**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

 **Lukas's P.O.V.**

* * *

I sat there gripping the empty coffee cup in my hand as I watched Mathias lead himself out. Once I heard the door slam shut, the tension in my body slowly disappeared and the tight grip on the cup loosened. I hadn't noticed until now that I had been sweating nervously.

I stood up and brought the cup to the kitchen in order to wash it. As I stood by the sink, I couldn't help but think about what was making me so tense. I thought back to the conversation I had just had with Mathias. That's when the anxiety had started. This wasn't the first time though that I had felt like this. As I thought about the most recent times that I had felt nervous I came to the realization that it was only when Mathias was around. I was usually such a composed person, but whenever I had to speak to him I would somehow get all tongue tied.

What is it about him that makes me feel like this? It's not like he's anything special. If I had to be honest, I'd say he was worse than me. After all, he is choosing this criminal path on his own, no one is forcing him to do it. I, on the other hand, am being forced into doing this. I have no other choice. He's also not very bright, but surprisingly he's actually very cheerful. As much as I hate to admit it, I actually feel happier when he's around. There's always so much life in those beautiful blue eyes of his. God, did I just think that about him? Was I attracted to him? Maybe that was it. No, that can't be it. Why would I even think that that would be an option? I'm not attracted to anyone, especially not idiotic thieves like Mathias. But if I wasn't attracted to him, then why was I so insistent on him coming tomorrow? He was right when he said that he had no purpose to come. I was just making excuses for him to come. I felt better when he was around despite the fact that I got so nervous. When he was here, it made me forget the horrible burden I had to carry around with me.

"Lukas?"

My eyes darted towards the door where the voice had come from. Emil was standing there looking at me strangely. My senses then came back to me as I realized where I was. I was still standing in front of the sink, the coffee cup still in my hand, and the sink still on. It was now overflowing and the water was pouring out onto the floor. I had been so engrossed in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed that my shoes were now soaked and surrounded by a growing puddle of water.

"You were just standing there, like you were in a trance or something." I heard Emil say as I quickly turned off the sink and grabbed the mop. "What could have been so interesting that you were so into your thoughts?"

"Nothing." I mumbled as I began to furiously mop up the water on the floor. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to Emil about my thoughts right now.

Emil seemed to sense that I wasn't in a very good mood because he stopped pestering me on the subject.

"Well, I'm going to hang out at Leon's for a little while." Emil said.

I wasn't too happy about that. I didn't really like it when he went over there.

"Are sure it's alright that Leon knows about this?" I asked, the worry already seeping through my voice.

Emil sighed in frustration and rolled his eyes. "I told you a million times already, he's perfectly safe. We barely even talk about it, and he rarely even speaks to his brother anyway."

"I know," I said. "but his brother is a policeman."

"Oh come on, Lukas! Can't you stop being so paranoid?"

I smirked. "Says the boy who told me that I shouldn't hire a certain someone because he might have worked for the police."

I knew his patience was running out now as I heard him groan in annoyance. As much as I loved my little brother, he was just too easy to annoy.

"That was different." He insisted.

"If you say so."

"Is that the only thing you don't like about me being around Leon?"

Well, there was one other thing about it, I thought humorously.

"Just don't get too comfortable around him." I said jokingly. I knew that that was the last straw.

"Oh my god! There's nothing going on between us!"

"You keep telling yourself that." I murmured as I mopped up the last of the water.

I finished mopping in silence as Emil still stood there watching me. I thought that he would've left by now, but when I looked up at him I could see there was something on his mind that he wanted to talk about, but wasn't sure how to bring up the subject. I put back the mop and turned to face him.

"What is it?"

He looked away as if he was embarrassed to ask the question he was pondering over. "Did you get any calls lately?"

His face was full of worry and fear. I wanted to lie to him and tell him that it was all over, but I knew I couldn't do that. It pained me to see my brother have to worry about my troubles.

"Yeah," His face dropped. "It's just a small one tomorrow. It's an easy one, don't worry."

Emil didn't respond. I was almost going to tell him about Mathias and that we didn't have to hide it from him, but I figured it would just make it worse, so I kept quiet. I knew there was nothing I could say that would make him feel better.

After a few seconds of silents, Emil sighed and turned to leave. "I'm gonna go now."

"Alright, don't come back too late."

He glared at me because I had slipped into that mother tone of voice again. He hated it when I would do that, but I just couldn't help being concerned for him.

"And Lukas," He said as he was about to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful tomorrow." Then he left, closing the door behind him.

"I always do."

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

* * *

I had accidentally slept in this morning which was pretty unusual for me considering that I was normally such an early riser. I was pretty shocked to see that my alarm clock read ten thirty. I quickly got up and went to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast.

As I waited for my bread to toast, I took out my phone to check any missed calls or texts. There was only one missed text, and it was from Lukas. Just seeing Lukas's name made me remember what he was doing today. I quickly read the short text from him. He had only sent it about five minutes ago.

 _Robbery went successful. On my way home, make sure to be there by ten thirty._

Oh shit. It was already ten twenty five. I'd never make it in time. Oh well, I guess Lukas would have to wait. It's not like he really needs me for anything important.

Immediately after I had read the text, my phone rang. Oh, great, it was Berwald.

"Morning, Berwald. Why you calling me so early?"

I could almost see him rolling his eyes. "Did you know about this bank robbery?"

Just simply say that you have no idea what he's talking about, and that Lukas told you nothing.

"Bank robbery? What are you talking about?"

"I thought you were in on it now. Lukas didn't tell you anything?" He asked in frustration.

"Nope." I said calmly while eating my breakfast. Inside though I was panicking. I'd better not screw this up.

"Then what was the point of all this if you didn't know?"

His patience was running out, and I knew if I didn't do something now then there would be little chance that this investigation would continue any longer. I then suddenly remembered something. Emil wasn't helping with the robbery today.

"How do you know it was Lukas?" I asked.

The question stumped Berwald. He realized that he didn't have any proof that it was Lukas.

"Was the kid caught on camera?" I asked, making him ponder over it more.

"Uh, actually, he wasn't this time." Good. That was the answer I wanted.

"Then are you telling me that you're just guessing that it was Lukas? Gee, Berwald, how unpolice like of you. I thought you were better than that."

Berwald was quiet as he was thinking about what I had said. If only Lukas could see the things I did for him, and what I had to go through.

"I guess you're right." Berwald finally said. I could hear the humiliation in his voice. "But, I think it would be best just to check his place to see if he had the money. Just to make sure."

Oh, shit. I couldn't allow him to do that. Lukas would be finished.

"Are you sure? Don't you have, like, better things to worry about?" I knew it was a stupid excuse, but I didn't have much time to think.

"First of all, it's not such a bother. I could send over two officers real quick. And secondly, Lukas is my main priority right now. This case _is_ the _better things_ I have to worry about." Berwald said.

Think quick, Mathias. "Wait! I've got a better idea. I think it would be too suspicious if you sent police officers, so why don't I just check? I'm gonna be there anyway, plus, I could easily just ask him if he was behind the bank robbery today, and he wouldn't feel the need to refrain from telling me."

There was no way that Berwald could resist that logic.

"Well, I guess that makes more sense." What did I tell you? "Alright, just make sure to get back to me."

I was smiling victoriously now as I began to clean up my breakfast and get ready to race over to Lukas. "No problem. Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

I just couldn't resist asking. "How did your date with Tino go last night?"

* * *

As soon as I had gotten off the phone with Berwald, I drove as fast as I could to Lukas. I was already late enough, and I didn't want to get any more on his bad side.

"Lukas!" I exclaimed as I entered the little office. "How did it go?"

Lukas looked anything but pleased to see me. "You're late, again."

"I know, I know." I said hurriedly. "Look, I'm really sorry about that. I kind of overslept."

That didn't seem to phase Lukas though. "Whatever."

I then followed him as he went upstairs, so we could be in privacy of any suspicious onlookers. My eyes widened at the large amount of money that was sitting on the table.

"So, how much exactly is this?" I asked.

"It's not much. It's only about seventy thousand." Lukas replied as if that was a normal amount of money.

" _Only_ seventy thousand?" I said under my breath in disbelief. How much did he usually steal?

Lukas walked over to the money and began to fumble around with it. "It's pretty much sorted already. I just need you to do some last minute organizing and then I'll hide it away."

"Uh, about that Lukas," I said as I walked towards him. "I was just thinking of something."

"Hmm?" He didn't seem fairly interested.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe hiding the money here isn't such a good idea."

His head shot up and he looked at me sharply. "Why not?"

"Oh, you know," I said. "What if someone catches onto your trail or something. I mean, there are already quite a few people who know about this."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Oh, good. He seemed interested. "Well, no one really except you knows that I'm in on it, so maybe it'd be better if you hid the money at my place."

Lukas played with some of the money in his hands as he toyed over my offer.

"You do have a point there, Mathias. I think I'd like to take you up on that offer. I think it shows how loyal you are to this, and it'll mean that you can't hand me over to the police without you getting into trouble too."

Well, that was pretty simple. Now, I wouldn't have to worry about Berwald finding any evidence here because it would all be at my house, and why on earth would Berwald ever suspect _me_ of hiding stolen money?

I clasped my hands together. "Great. When do you want to bring it over?"

Lukas's gave me a look that looked a little suspicious. It made me think that he might be planning something.

"How about right now?"

* * *

 **Now, Lukas is realizing some certain feelings he might have, though still a little vague, but they're there! Looks like we might have a potential relationship, people!**

 **And I hope you guys didn't mind the little hint of hongice in there plus the sufin. I'll be putting a little bit more of them in later.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm back! I'm so sorry for the like 3 week absence, you see, I was in the process of getting a beta (thanks SillyKwado) and yeah, it took me a while. But I should be back on a regular schedule now so you can expect constant updates again!**

 **I hope you all like this chapter, especially the end, well, you'll see what I mean...**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

The short drive to my apartment was silent for the most part. In the little time that I had been acquainted with Lukas, I had come to learn that he preferred not to speak much. He was more of a thinking person. I wonder if I ever came up in his thoughts. I know that he definitely came up in mine, quite often actually.

How Lukas exactly thought of me was still a mystery. By now, I had come to know exactly how I felt towards him. I couldn't deny it anymore. Gilbert had been right, I was most definitely crushing on Lukas. For the past few days all that I could think about was Lukas. It was like my mind had put the spotlight on him, and I couldn't focus on anything else. Even as I drove through the bustling streets of Manhattan, I was still watching Lukas out of the corner of my eye. He didn't seem to notice me as he was looking straight ahead with a look of concentration set on his pale features. It looked like something was puzzling him. It was clear that there was something he was pondering over, but what it was I had no knowledge of.

Before I knew it, we had reached our destination. As I parked the car I thought back to what environmental state my apartment was in. I had left so quickly this morning without much thought that I didn't even think about the possibility of having a visitor, and not just any visitor. This was Lukas we're talking about.

To my relief, I led Lukas into a nice and tidy apartment. Thank goodness I usually kept my place in order. We still hadn't really made any real conversation since we left the office. We were now standing in my front hall silently. It was a little awkward, and for once in my life I wasn't sure how to initiate a conversation. Lukas stood still as his eyes quickly darted around his unfamiliar surroundings. He was holding a big, sealed box in a very protective manner. I didn't blame him though as it did contain stolen dollars and checks totaling to millions of dollars worth of money. For good measure, I casually locked my front door, to which Lukas took note of. I didn't really think anyone would come, but just to be on the safe side, as well as to calm Lukas's nerves a bit.

"So, where did you plan on keeping it?" Lukas asked suddenly.

I was a little relieved that he had started the conversation, but my relief was short lived as I came to the realization that I had no hiding place planned.

"Well, I figured you could look around a bit, and find someplace that you'd feel comfortable with."

I watched his reaction, silently praying that he'd like my spur of the moment idea. His straight face didn't give any insight as to what was going through his head.

"Alright, sounds reasonable." Thank the Lord.

"Okay, great! Let's get started."

I led him out of the hall with a smile on my face. I tried to be very enthusiastic, so this whole situation wouldn't be too uncomfortable. It was already nerve wrecking enough to have the man of my dreams standing here in my house, and I didn't want it to get any more awkward than that.

"So, here's the living room." I said as we entered the sunlit room. "I doubt you'll find a good place in here though."

It was fairly average in size, not too small yet not too big. Aside from the white sofas and chairs, and the couple of bookcases there really wasn't much else in the room. There definitely wasn't anything that could hide an enormous amount of money.

Lukas scanned the room quickly, and then shook his head. "No, it's too open in here. I need something more secluded."

"Then I'm guessing we can probably skip the dining room and kitchen?"

"Yeah."

With those rooms out of the way, Lukas followed me to the back of the apartment. The only rooms I had left were the guest bedroom, my bedroom, the bathroom (though I wasn't too fond of hiding money in there), and a small storage room. I showed him to the guest bedroom first as I never actually had guests over, so it would be perfect for hiding the illegal money. Apparently though, Lukas did not share my opinion.

"I don't think this is a good place either." He said after I showed him all the drawers and closet space that he could use.

"Why not?" I asked in shock.

I was so sure that this room would be perfect. Because it was never used it had so much empty and secluded space.

"What's wrong with all these drawers?" I asked, pointing to the empty drawer beside me.

"And what about the closet?" I opened the closet door for emphasis. "There's nothing in here. There's plenty of space, and it even has a lock on it."

"Exactly." Lukas said.

I frowned in confusion. "The lock? You don't like the lock?"

I could almost see him mentally face palming as he rolled his eyes at me. "No, you idiot. It's the emptiness! There's nothing else in here!"

Oh. Now I was the one mentally face palming.

"I see." My storage room then came to mind. "Well, I do have a slightly more cluttered place if that's what you're looking for."

He followed silently as I led him to the small storage room. It was only about twice the size of the closet he used back at his house, and it had plenty of junk piled in it. Lukas began to rummage through the many boxes cluttering the room. There really wasn't anything interesting in them, just stuff I happened to have in my possession that I had no use for. I watched him from the doorway for a few minutes as he continued to scavage around until he stood up, gave the room one last look over, and shook his head.

"I don't like this either."

I sighed. I was running out of suggestions. I didn't have much space, and he was only making it harder with all his requirements.

"Sorry if I'm being so difficult with this."

I looked up to meet Lukas's guilty expression. It was like he had read my mind, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"No, it's fine. I guess I didn't really think this through." I reassured him, but I couldn't let him take the money back to his house. "But are sure you'd rather have it at your place? Don't you think it would be safer here?"

Lukas looked down at the box in his hands as if he was studying it. I hoped that he was reconsidering my suggestions, so the money could end up staying here. If only I could actually tell him why it would really be safer here then he would comply immediately, but I knew I couldn't do that.

"Are you sure there's no place else? Surely, you have a bedroom here. Is there anyplace in there?" Lukas asked.

I was hoping he wouldn't think of that. As a matter of fact, there was a good place in my bedroom, but I had tried to avoid going in there with him. I'm not sure why. I just didn't feel comfortable bringing him in there, but it looked like I had no choice if I wanted to keep him from getting caught.

"I do." I said quickly.

Lukas looked at me expectantly. "And is there a hiding place in there?"

I hesitated, but decided to go ahead with it. "Actually, I think there is. In the back of the closet there's a small compartment built into the wall, and it even locks."

"That sounds perfect." He said quickly. "Can I see?"

I nodded and reluctantly led him to my bedroom. I don't know why I was getting so nervous though. It was just a bedroom. What could possibly happen in there that it couldn't happen somewhere else?

I took my time opening the door and slowly made my way through the room towards the closet. Lukas, however, was following right at my heels, as quick as possible. Why he was in such a rush, I had no idea.

"Here it is." I said.

We were crowded into the narrow closet, my hand pushing aside the clothes covering the compartment door. Lukas observed it carefully, and I could see his eyes growing with excitement, though the rest of his face made sure not to show it. I began to think that maybe I had made the right decision.

"This is perfect. It's much better than what I was using before." Lukas said, his eyes still focused on the compartment.

I laughed nervously. "Well, I'm glad you like it."

The next ten minutes was spent transferring the money into my closet as odd as that sounds. We did it in silence, and after the last dollar bill was put inside I closed the compartment door shut, and turned the lock.

"There. That's done." I concluded.

Another awkward silence. Interestingly, before I met Lukas I had never really experienced a so called awkward silence. I always had something to say no matter who I was talking to, but with Lukas, I found myself at a loss of words, and it didn't help that he wasn't very talkative himself.

"So, what now?" Well, there went my horrible attempt at starting a conversation.

Lukas didn't answer me right away. Instead, he turned away and proceeded to stare at nothing, though I could tell he was deep in thought. Maybe it was the same thing he was thinking about in the car earlier.

"Mathias?" He asked after those few moments of silence.

"Yeah?"

Whatever he was going to ask me, he was being very hesitant about it. "Are you busy this coming Monday?"

My heart raced just a bit. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but this was almost beginning to sound like he was asking me out. Did Lukas really feel the same way? Nah, that was too good to be true, but just maybe he was.

"Uh, no. Why?"

He seemed very tense, but my reply seemed to relax him a bit. "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to join me somewhere on Monday."

I almost had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep myself from smiling. Maybe it wasn't too good to be true.

"Sure. Where to?"

Another suspenseful moment of silence. He really knew how to get one excited for something.

"On Monday, I have another robbery to do, and I thought that maybe you'd like to come. You know, since you wanted to see all my "secrets" and stuff."

Oh. That's it? Well, that was disappointing. I guess I still don't know how he feels about me. Oh well, at least I'm getting to see how he commits his robberies. I've still never found out how he does it.

"Oh, uh, of course. I really do want to know how you do it." I said, trying my best to sound excited.

Lukas's expression didn't change. "Good. Be at the office on Monday morning at nine."

I nodded. I was a little nervous about it because I didn't want to take the chance of anyone seeing me, as in any policemen. I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if Berwald found out.

Lukas then glanced at his watch. "I should probably get going now. I've been here long enough."

"No, wait."

Our gazes met, both of us being equally surprised at my sudden outburst. I don't know why I said it, but I didn't want him to go just yet.

"I mean, it's not a bother, really. It's not like I have anything better to do today."

I would've slapped myself for how stupid that sounded. Lukas seemed to be thinking the same thing from the look he gave me.

"What are you saying exactly?"

That was a good question. I myself didn't even know what I was saying.

"What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to go just yet, unless you want to that is." I laughed nervously. I had no idea where I was going with this. "If you're busy then that's totally fine, I completely understand, but if you're not, then maybe you can stay a while."

Now I was ready to shoot myself. I didn't even want to look at him because I was too embarrassed of what I had said. As cliché as it sounds, I really wanted Lukas to stay. I wanted to get to know him better, maybe even pull him out of his shell a little. Before I had wanted to get to know him for the investigation, so that I can give the police some information, but now, my sole purpose for getting to know him was because I was actually interested in Lukas. Why was this new motive suddenly making it so much harder for me to talk to him?

Lukas wasn't quick to answer, not that I blamed him though. My request had came off as pretty odd after all. When I did find the courage to look at him, I was surprised to see that he actually looked like he was considering it. My heart began to race again. It was the same feeling from before, but I knew better than to trust it. I could only be sure of Lukas's feelings towards me when he tells them to me himself. Otherwise, it would be too risky to guess with him.

"I don't have anything else to do today." Lukas turned away from me when he said it. "I could stay if that's what you want."

I could feel my face burning up. Luckily, Lukas wasn't facing me, so he didn't see the blush appearing on my face.

"Yeah. We could just hang out. Just the two of us."

I had to stop talking, so I could allow my breath to catch up with me. I also felt like gagging because of how awkward my words had just sounded. I wasn't sure if Lukas was just pretending that this wasn't awkward at all, or if he really didn't notice it. I tended to think that it was probably not the latter as Lukas appeared to be pretty sharp. Though it seemed strange that he would play along with it like this.

Lukas then turned around, and I couldn't help noticing the slight blush on his face. "What do you have in mind."

We weren't standing very close to each other which at first would appear to make the conversation less awkward, but in reality I think it only made it worse. I took a few hesitant steps towards him, trying to make it look casual, but I think we both knew that it was forced.

"Well, it's nearly five o'clock." I said while glancing at my watch. I was surprised to see how quickly the time had flown by. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry. There's a nice little restaurant a few blocks away, maybe we could get something to eat."

I held my breath as I painstakingly waited for his response. I couldn't believe that I was actually going ahead with this. Technically, it could even be considered a date, but I wasn't going to allow myself to think that far.

Lukas looked taken a back, but not in an offensive way. He just seemed a little surprised at my offer. "I'll admit, I am a little hungry as well. And Emil isn't going to be home until later, so I guess I could take you up on the offer."

If Lukas wouldn't have been standing there then I would've smiled like an idiot and danced around in victory. My first attempt at asking Lukas out on a theoretical date was a success.

"Okay. Then let's get going."

* * *

 **Things are getting serious now!**

 **Hope you all liked it and please review so I could hear your thoughts. I'm super excited to write the next chapter!**

 **Goodbye my lovely readers!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

 **Lukas's P.O.V.**

* * *

It had been a long time since I had felt so at ease with myself. I felt a little eager and hopeful, feelings that felt so foreign to me, as I sat in the passenger seat of Mathias's car and gazed out the window thoughtfully. For the first time in a while my thoughts weren't focused on crime and robberies and potential arrest. I felt like rejoicing and I almost gave in with a smile, but held back when I glanced at the man seated beside me. As much as I wanted to express my feelings for him, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. And I hated myself for that.

It was only today that I had finally figured out how I felt towards my cheerful assistant. For the past few days, I had been battling my thoughts and wracking my brain to find out what was happening to me. Why I was always thinking of Mathias puzzled me. Why I acted a bit more friendlier to him confused me. But then our conversation today made it clear. Mathias had a crush on me and had built up the courage to ask me out, and that's when I realized that the feelings were mutual.

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

* * *

If I could've changed one thing about Lukas, it would have to be how he hides his emotions. Now, don't get me wrong, in my eyes Lukas is perfect. He looks perfect, he acts perfect, Lukas is the definition of perfect. But, when it comes to expressing one's self, I think that's when he takes the trait of perfection a little too far.

You might think that being perfect means that nothing can effect you. Nothing hurts you, nothing excites you, and nothing angers you. But Lukas's philosophy is wrong. How someone feels about certain things and how they perceive things is what makes them who they are. How am I supposed to get to really know Lukas if I can't see what he feels strongly about, what he feels happy about, what he feels sad about? I guess what I'm really trying to say is, how am I supposed to know how he feels about me?

Lukas was quiet the entire drive. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I couldn't help but notice the occasional glances he gave me throughout the short ride. It really irritated me that his thoughts were still a mystery. Maybe I'm not as good of a detective as I had thought I was.

"This is the place." I said as we pulled up in front of a quaint, little restaurant at the corner of the street. "It's nothing fancy, just a little inexpensive place that we can just grab something real quick."

I said the word quick, but I had no intention of actually carrying out my word. This was not going to be a short visit, on the contrary, I planned on making the most of it. Despite what I had told Lukas, this restaurant was actually quite fancy inside. I had actually never eaten there myself as I never had an excuse to, until now.

"It looks fine." Lukas commented as he did a quick look over of the place.

Upon entering, I was able to catch a glimpse of Lukas's mouth drop open half an inch, but he quickly closed it so as not to look too surprised. I couldn't help but smile at the action for that was typical Lukas for you.

"You made it sound like it was some fast food restaurant or something. Are you sure we're at the right place?"

"Well, I've actually never been in here myself. A friend of mine told me about it and I figured I should try it."

I smiled as I remembered when Gilbert had told me about it. It was after he had went there on a date with his Canadian boyfriend who I didn't recall ever meeting yet. But, that would have to wait for some other time. Right now I had my own date that I have to go on.

"Why don't we sit down." I said, trying to make it a little less awkward.

We quickly found an empty table and seated ourselves across from each other, though we both set our gazes elsewhere. As I looked around at the other tables, I felt that we were a little out of place in our casual attire. Most of the other customers were couples and then there were the occasional loners here and there, but they were all dressed formerly as this was a more formal restaurant. Once again, I didn't think properly before making this sudden decision.

I brought my eyes back to our table and picked up my menu as I saw Lukas had already begun browsing through his. "See anything worth trying?"

"Not yet."

We spent the next few minutes in silence, looking through our menus, though I was only pretending too. I was actually secretly peering over my menu to stare at Lukas. Why hadn't I ever noticed how hot he was? He looked like he was really concentrating, I liked that look. I tried to figure out what he was thinking, but his concentration had closed off any openings into his thoughts. Eventually, I had let my menu slide out of my hands and fall on to the table, my eyes still fixed on Lukas's concentrated expression, my original plan of secrecy completely forgotten. What finally snapped me out of it was the waiter coming around to take our orders.

After our orders were taken, we had no menus to use as an excuse to avoid each other, so I decided that it was a perfect time for some conversation. I suddenly remembered that Lukas had never told me who the lady was that he was always referring to.

"You know, you never exactly told me who that woman was."

I was looking at Lukas, but he wasn't looking at me. Apparently, the other people around him were more interesting. "Why do you want to know?"

"Curious, that's all. You seem to talk about her a lot, and negatively I should add."

As much as he tried to keep a straight face, I could see that something was bothering him. He sighed as he eyed the other customers and then turned to me with an irritated expression.

"Look, Mathias, can we just not talk about this whole thing now. Just pretend we're not involved in that. I just want one night where I don't have to think about."

It came out sounding a little harsh at first, but I was happy that he didn't want to talk about it. This gave me more of a chance to talk about other things, like, our feelings, towards each other. But that wasn't going to happen, much to my disappointment. Maybe I could just get to know him a little better instead.

"Sure. No problem. What would you like to talk about?" I know, it was a stupid question. If it was really up to Lukas then he'd probably opt for no talking at all.

"What would I like to talk about?"

Don't you just hate it when people repeat your questions as if they're didn't hear it correctly? Well, I usually hate it, but Lukas was the one repeating my question, what was there to hate?

"Yeah. Anything."

He was actually taken this pretty seriously as if he didn't get the opportunity to say what he wanted very often. Could he get any cuter?

"Why are you smiling like that?"

I was smiling?

"Uh, no reason. I'm just overly cheerful, remember?"

The waiter then came by with our food, interrupting our awkward conversation. As the waiter placed our food on the table, I was privilaged to witnessing a very rare site indeed. When Lukas thought I couldn't him, he smiled, and my god, it was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. Prior to this, I didn't know that Lukas was capable of giving a genuine smile. It was most definitely a rare phenomenon that I knew I had to see again.

The waiter then finally left, giving me a much better view of Lukas, but unfortunately the smile that I had clearly seen before was now gone from that lovely face of his. I really needed to stop thinking like that. Lukas happened to be very good at sensing what others were thinking.

Now that we had our food, we had another excuse for us to lapse into silence again. At first, I didn't mind the silence as I was pretty hungry and the food there happened to be pretty darn good. Surprisingly, Lukas was actually the one who broke the silence a little while later.

"You knew this place wasn't an average restaurant."

I froze, my fork stopping middair. I slowly placed it back down on my plate and looked up to meet Lukas's gaze. The question had gotten my complete attention.

"What do you mean?"

Lukas casually looked back down at his plate and took ankther bite of his food. He then looked up at me again.

"Why'd you take me here?"

My lying game probably wasn't going to work here. I decided that I might as well tell him the truth, or at least half of it. Wasn't that I wanted in the first place?

"I like you, Lukas. I think you're a good guy and I just wanted to get to know you a bit more, that's all."

What, you thought I was going to actually confess? Ha! But, seriously, I really wanted to, but I just couldn't do it. Why am I such a coward?

Lukas didn't say anything. His expression though softened a bit and I could finally see some life in his usual dull, blue eyes.

"You're an idiot, Mathias."

He was glaring down at his plate, but then looked up with a small smile.

"But I like you too."

Did I hear that right? Did Lukas Bondevik actually say that he liked me? Judging by how Lukas rolled his eyes at me, I guessed my ridiculous smile was pretty obvious, but I couldn't care less. Lukas liked me and that was all that mattered.

As I stared at Lukas, something in the restaurant caught my eye. I looked away from Lukas and almost fell out of my chair when I saw two men sitting themselves down at a table near us. One of them had his back facing me, but the other one I recognized immediately. With that messy blond hair and those bright green eyes, it was hard to mistaken that CIA agent.

I watched nervously as Arthur suddenly stood up from the chair he had just sat down in and quickly made his way to the restroom. It didn't seem like he noticed me yet. I quickly looked back at Lukas, and luckily he didn't look like he found anything suspicious.

"I'm gonna go use the restroom real quick."

Lukas nodded and I hurried over to where Arthur had disappeared to. When I entered the bathroom I was surprised to see him standing in front of the mirror and looking at himself nervously. My sudden appearance didn't help.

"Mathias! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for the British man to give me answer. He then took a deep breath as he realized he wasn't going to get out of it.

"I'm just here on a business deal." He said while unbuttoning his suit jacket, only to rebutton it again immediately afterwards. Someone was nervous about something.

"Since when do CIA agents make business deals?"

His hands froze as he was rebuttoning. He sighed and then let his shaky hands drop to his sides.

"Okay, it's not a business deal. I'm just here with a friend."

My thoughts went back to the other man who's face I had not yet seen.

"A friend? You have friends?"

I smiled as he glared at me. Did I forget to mention that we weren't on the best of terms?

"Yes, as hard as that is to believe."

"If it's just a friend then why are you so nervous?"

I knew this wasn't what I had came for, but he was just to fun to mess with.

"Bloody hell, why do you have to be such a goddamn detective all the time? It's a date, okay? Mystery solved."

"Who's the unlucky guy?"

I was literally walking on glass here, but I just couldn't resist. His reactions were just perfect.

"Alfred Jones."

Hey, I remembered him.

"The guy from the bank?"

Arthur nodded.

Woah! He was with Alfred? Those two seemed like total opposites! But then again, so were Lukas and I. That thought reminded me of my original purpose for interrogating him in the first place.

"Well then, have a nice date, Arthur."

I was going to turn to leave. My plan was to convince Lukas that our night was over so I wouldn't have to deal with Arthur here. But he stopped me before I could go ahead with my plan.

"You never told me what you were doing here. I'm afraid you're just going to have to be blunt with me as I'm no detective."

I smirked. "Client. We were actually just finishing up now until I saw you."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at me. "A client? Isn't Berwald working you hard enough already?"

"I like to keep myself busy."

He nodded. I wasn't sure what he believed, but I knew I had to go soon before he started asking questions.

"Well, that's your choice. Speaking of which, how's the bank robbery case coming? I've heard you found the culprit."

It always came down to this, didn't it? And I always have to get out of it with lies.

"Yeah, it's, uh, going good. We found him. Now we're just working on getting some evidence." Oh, the irony. "Look, it was nice seeing you, as weird as that sounds, but I really got to get going. Good luck with Alfred."

I hurried out quickly and headed straight for our table. Lukas was still sitting there, waiting for me. I caught site of the waiter nearby and called him over before I said anything to Lukas.

"Check, please!"

Lukas looked up at me with confusion. "We're leaving now?"

I didn't look at him and took the check from the waiter.

"Yeah, I mean, we're done, right?" I said while paying. "I'll pay for it all if that's what you're worried about."

"No, it's fine. It just seemed pretty sudden."

I handed the check to the waiter and smiled at Lukas. "Ready? I'll drive you home."

I pulled up in front of Lukas's apartment and got out of the car along with him.

"You don't have to escort me to the door, you know." He said objectively, but I knew he was happy I was.

"I don't mind."

I followed him as he walked up to the door and took out the keys from his pocket. He was about to put them in the lock, but stopped and turned around to face me.

"Thank you, for tonight. I had a nice time with you."

I gave him my signature smile. "Anytime, Lukas. I had a nice time with you too."

He nodded and gave me a small smile. "We should do it again sometime."

"I'd like that."

That was probably my cue to leave, but something inside was telling me not to. I looked at Lukas, his face illuminated by the moonlight. He was so close that I could just reach out and touch him if I wanted to. I did want to. He was staring back at me, his eyes informing me that he was probably contemplating the same thing. I made the first move, though I was barely conscious about it. My hand reached out slowly to touch him and to my surprise, Lukas didn't make any effort to stop it. He took a step towards me and by that point we were so close I could feel him breathing on me. His scent was very strong now. It was a good scent. I wasn't sure what it was, but it fit Lukas perfectly, exactly as I had imagined. Our lips were almost touching now as if each were daring the other to make the first move. We stared each other in the eye one more time and then we went for it.

That first kiss was nothing as I had imagined, it was a hundred times better. I had never kissed anyone like this in my life and to say I utterly enjoyed was an understatement. The feel of his lips on mine was a feeling that I thought could never be duplicated. How something could feel that good was a mystery I knew I could never solve.

But the heavenly feeling of Lukas's lips touching mine couldn't last forever, and when we finally became aware of what we were doing we quickly pulled away. We looked away from each other in embarrassment, but we then looked back as we realized there was nothing really to be embarrassed of. There was another a few seconds of silence as we were both still trying to recollect ourselves from the heaven we had just come out of. Lukas then turned to unlock the door, and upon opening it, turned back to me.

"I'll see you on Monday."

I nodded and watched him enter the house, and closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, Monday."

* * *

 **Alright, so they finally did it!**

 **Forgive me, but I have never actually written a kiss scene so hopefully it didn't suck as much as I imagined it would. Also, if you didn't catch it, I put a slight hint of PruCan in there, and some USUK! Personally, I really liked how this chapter turned out, and that's saying a lot because I'm usually so critical of myself. I'm dying to know what you all thought of this chapter (and the story in general), so don't be afraid to comment!**

 **And guess what, next chapter you get to see how the amazing Lukas pulls off his incredible heists!**

 **Thank you all for reading and have a marvelous day!**


	23. Chapter 23

**And I'm back with a new chapter for you! Yay! Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me, just in case you guys didn't get that from the last twenty two chapters, wow, my story is this long already!**

* * *

That weekend seemed like the longest three days I had ever endured, but at long last Monday finally came.

Despite how excited I was to accompany Lukas on his next robbery, I was also quite nervous to see him since our last meeting, you know, since we like, kissed at all. It still sounded so weird saying that in my mind. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I kissed Lukas Bondevik! I could only begin to imagine what Berwald would say if he heard that.

Lukas didn't mention anything about our "date" last week, he just acted as if it never had happened, which wasn't necessarily a good thing because I kind of wanted to know what status our relationship was.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, as Lukas hadn't told me anything, so I wasn't even sure if I should wear all black or not. I probably should have because Lukas was dressed all in black, though he wasn't wearing a ski mask or anything.

"You ready to go?" Lukas asked when he saw me.

I nodded. "Yup, so how does this work, we just drive there?"

"Sort of."

Lukas didn't say anything and got into the driver's seat of his car. I followed him and took a seat on the passenger side. As we drove, I tried to get some more information on how Lukas conducted his robberies.

"So, how do you get into the vault without anyone seeing you?"

Lukas's bored expression didn't change as he briefly answered my question. "Vaults have many different doors, Mathias. We don't have to use the main one."

"But they have all the security, there's no way they can't see you."

"They can't see us if the security is off."

Off? How does Lukas manage to take down the security without raising any suspicion?

"And how do you do that?"

"I don't, that's Eduard's job. He's a tech guy, he can hack into anything, and no one will ever notice." Lukas replied, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

So that was how they did it. Eduard must be pretty good with computers if he's able to pull that off.

When we reached the bank, I almost expected there to be police cars, but I had to quickly remind myself that thanks to me, the police didn't know about the imminent bank robbery. I wasn't sure if I should feel guilty or not, for here I was, actually helping out some thieves rob a bank, though I wouldn't necessarily go as far as calling them thieves, but you know what I mean.

I didn't ask any questions when Lukas silently got out of the car, I just followed his lead, promising myself that I wasn't going to mess anything up because knowing me, I probably would.

I followed Lukas to a door on the other side of the building which was deserted except for two people standing there, as if they were waiting for us.

"Mathias, this is Toris and that's Raivis." Lukas said to me, and then turned to address the other two. "This is Mathias, the guy I told you about."

I began to wonder what he had told them, but I couldn't ponder over it too much, as Lukas and the other two guys began to enter the building. I quickly followed them, as I did not wish to get lost here.

We made a silent trek through the back of the building, and I was quite surprised at the fact that no one else was around. Did Eduard take care of that too?

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, we finally made it to the vault room. Sure enough, the huge door was bolted up with probably hundreds of different kind of locks and alarms. I was almost certain that every alarm in the world would start to blare the second Lukas placed his hand on the locked door.

But they didn't, even though they should have. I watched in amazement as Lukas very easily opened the door, revealing a huge room filled to the brim with shelves upon shelves of solid, green cash.

I still stood frozen in my place as Lukas, Toris, and Raivis quickly and quietly entered the vault. Reluctantly, I followed them inside, still not sure if I actually wanted to be involved in this.

I didn't do anything, but watch as the three of them grabbed whatever they could fit in their bags. I kept glancing at the doors out of fear that someone would come in, but no one ever did. These guys really were good.

Surprisingly, it was all over within just a few minutes. We were out of there almost as soon as we had entered, the only difference was that now we were about three million times richer.

I still didn't say anything, even after we had left the bank and were in the safety of the car and already on the road, mainly because I was still trying to get over the shock I had gotten from witnessing all that.

"The police will be there soon." Lukas said, again with no emotion in his voice whatsoever. "We're bringing it to your house, I assume?"

I nodded, not really paying attention to what Lukas was saying. Apparently, he had noticed my shock.

"Why is this so surprising to you? I thought you used to rob banks?"

Oh, right. I was supposed to be a former bank robber.

"I did, just not like that."

It wasn't a very good answer, especially by my standards, but I couldn't really think straight at the moment. I still couldn't believe that I had just technically robbed a bank. It only made me feel worse knowing that I could've stopped it, I was _supposed_ to stop it! That's why I had found Lukas in the first place.

But, when I thought about why Lukas was doing it, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. How I wish I could just meet whoever was blackmailing him, and lock them up behind bars. Maybe if I did that, Lukas will agree to go on another "date" with me.

There was no discussion between us as we entered my apartment and locked away our stolen cash. I didn't even ask Lukas to stay that time because I kind of needed to be alone in order to sort out my thoughts and come to terms with what I had just did.

"I'm gonna go now." Lukas said as I closed the hidden safe. "I can show myself out."

I nodded and watched silently as Lukas left the room. After a few moments of silence, my phone rang. I tensed when I saw that Berwald was calling, as I knew exactly what the matter was. Hesitantly, I answered his call, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Hey Ber, what-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence before he began to shout at me.

"You idiot! I hire you to find out when this other idiot is going to rob a bank, and you can't ever get it right! How could you not have known about this?!"

I sighed, knowing this was going to be a tough conversation. "Alright, calm down. I'm sorry, but he still doesn't really trust me yet, so he doesn't really tell me these things. I promise I'll try harder, so that next time you can show up before he does, and arrest him, alright? Now, I gotta go."

I quickly hung up, not really in the mood to hear Berwald's ranting. I sighed and was about to put my phone back into my pocket when all of a sudden my door slammed open, causing me to drop my phone on the floor. I quickly turned around to see a very, and when I say very, I mean a very angry Lukas standing in my doorway.

I panicked like I had never panicked before. How could he not have keft by now?

I stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. There was no way that Lukas had just heard my conversation with Berwald, that wasn't supposed to happen!

"So this is who you really are?"

I stared at Lukas, completely speechless, but he just continued, his tone getting angrier with every passing second.

"That's why you did all this? Coming to work for me, letting me use your own goddamn house for storing illegal money? You even went as far as to make me believe that you were interested in me!"

I wanted to tell him that my love for him was true, but I couldn't even bring myself to shake my head.

"You fucking kissed me! Is that how much you want me arrested?! Well, here you go, you got me! What are you waiting for? Get out the handcuffs!"

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what I could say. "Lukas, that's not it-"

"Just give up the act, will you?! I knew I should have listened to Emil, he was right about you!"

He then glared at me once more and quickly left the apartment. I wanted to race after him, and tell him that he was all wrong, but I was just too ashamed of myself, too ashamed of myself for lying to him.

If only he knew how real my love for him was. If only he knew what I was really up to. I should have just told him right from the start, that way I wouldn't have had to lie to him at all.

But it was too late now for that. I just hoped that I could set things straight again.

* * *

 **Ahh! What just happened?! No, Lukas, come back! It's not what you think!**

 **Don't yell at me yet guys, this isn't how it ends, I promise!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and reviews are greatly appreciated! Goodbye!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, *sob***

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

* * *

After the door slammed shut, I stood frozen in my place for a good fifteen minutes, Lukas's words repeating over and over again in my mind. I still found it hard to believe that Lukas had just found out my big secret that I had been trying so hard to hide from him, and unbeknownst to him, also from the police.

Lukas was probably home at that point, waiting for the police that were never going to show up. I wanted to go over there and explain myself and how I truly felt, but I was too ashamed. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, but then, how was it supposed to be?

Thinking back on it, I had never had a plan. All I did was try to stall for time, but for what? What was I planning on doing? I couldn't deter the police forever. I would've had to tell Lukas eventually if I had wanted to save him from being found guilty of a crime he had wanted no part in.

Perhaps it was a good thing that Lukas found out, though I would have liked it to happen a bit differently. Maybe if I told him what I had been doing this whole time, he would come to understand.

I wouldn't know if I didn't try.

About ten minutes later, I found myself awkwardly standing outside Lukas's building, unsure if I should actually go in or not. I knew Lukas was most probably in there, as his car was sitting outside, but I still debated if I should knock or not.

But it was now or never, so I might as well take the chance. Seeing as that he probably wouldn't hear the knock, I decided to let him know I was there by calling him.

I slowly dialed his number, as I was quite nervous of what his reaction would be. The phone then began to ring and I waited hesitantly for Lukas to answer.

By the fifth ring, I figured that Lukas wouldn't pick up and I got ready to end the call, but the ringing suddenly stopped and the familiar voice of the call's recipient spoke on the other end.

"Why are you calling me?"

I frowned as there was no emotion whatsoever in his monotone voice. I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. Was he mad at me? No doubt he was, but was he afraid? Was he coming to terms with the fact that he could be arrested at any minute?

"If you're not going to talk then I'm hanging up."

I was not going to let Lukas hang up on me. I was going to tell him everything, and it would be his choice if he wanted to accept it or not.

"I'm outside. I want to explain myself to you. Please, Lukas, give me a chance."

He replied quickly, though I could hear the slight quiver in his voice.

"And why should I? What do you have to explain anyway?"

I took a deep breath, as this was my only chance to get him back.

"Lukas, you don't understand. The police don't know, no one is coming to arrest you. I promise, Lukas, just let me have one more chance."

I held my breath as silence followed after my request. I knew I was asking a lot from him, but if he accepted, then it would be a lot better for him.

I waited a few more seconds, but Lukas never replied. Eventually, the call ended and I knew that Lukas had hung up on me. I felt dejected, but I knew I probably deserved it.

What I had done wasn't fair to Lukas. He had every right to deny my apologies.

I turned away from his building, ready to head back to my car and drive home, but the sound of a door unlocking behind me made me turn back around.

The door was opened, and a very depressed Lukas stood in its shadow.

I stuttered as I couldn't think of what to say to him. I wanted to just spill out everything right then and there, but I knew that probably wasn't the best idea.

Before I could figure out what to say, Lukas intervened and started the dreaded conversation.

"Didn't you want to come in?"

The pure hatred in his voice just made me want to drop into a hole and lie in there forever.

Despite the uncomfort of being there, I did end up going in, eventually finding myself seated across from Lukas in his apartment's small living room. His expression was grave, filled with a mix of anger, depression and hatred. Seeing him like that just caused everything to spill out to him.

He was completely silent, his expression never changing as I told him everything that had happened, starting with when Berwald had first hired me. I told him about my strategy of finding him and about my plan to go undercover.

I then told him about how my feelings on the matter had changed when I figured out that it wasn't his fault, though I left out the part of how I found out that I was falling for him.

I told him how I had decided that he shouldn't go to jail for it, and how I kept all the important information from Berwald and the police.

When I finished, I sat silently, my gaze avoiding his, as I waited for his reaction. I wasn't sure what to expect, would Lukas see my reasoning or would he continue to think that I was a liar, only here to further advance with my plans on arresting him?

Lukas was quiet, but I could tell that he was contemplating the matter thoroughly. Well, at least he was giving it a chance.

"Why did you do it?"

My eyes snapped up to meet his gaze as he asked the sudden question. My mind was so full of thoughts at the moment that I hadn't understood what Lukas had asked.

"Do what?"

"What was the real reason that kept you from turning me in? Why don't you want me to go to jail?"

I should have known that he would question my reasoning. It was probably for the best though. Perhaps he would trust me more if I told him, and besides, I had never actually confessed my love to him.

"Lukas, I did it because I love you." I could see the instant shock in his eyes, but I didn't give him a chance to say his opinion. This was my time to express how I felt, and I wasn't going to give it up. "I know it sounds crazy, but I do. I fell hard for you, Lukas, probably since the day we met, and I don't know if you feel the same way towards me, but even if you don't, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew I was responsible for putting the only one I loved behind bars."

The tension in the room was obvious. I could see that Lukas was both shocked and bewildered by my sudden outburst. I didn't mind though because I knew that I had done everything I could, and it was now up to Lukas to decide. Maybe I'd finally get to know how he felt towards me.

"You did this all just for that?"

I nodded.

"Are you a complete idiot? Surely you knew how risky that was, and who says that your plan will work in the end? There's still a chance that the police can find the evidence against me, it's not exactly over yet. Why are you putting yourself in danger?"

If I were thinking clearly at the moment then I'd probably consider what he had said, but I wasn't thinking clearly. The only clear fact in my mind was that I loved Lukas.

"Lukas, when someone is truly in love with someone else, they're willing to make sacrifices just so they can be together. Putting myself at risk is the sacrifice I'm willing to make, so that I can be together with you."

It was a deep statement, way too deep for someone like me to say, but somehow I had said it, though I could've sworn I heard it from somewhere.

"Just go home, Mathias."

I was startled by Lukas's request. Was that it? Did he not accept my apology?

"You want me to leave?" I asked as if I hadn't heard the question.

Lukas turned away from me, so I couldn't see his expression. "For now, I just need time to think about everything. It's a lot to take in."

Was that the reason? He wasn't done with me just yet?

"Alright, I understand. I'll leave, and I'm sorry, Lukas, for everything. You have every right to hate me."

Without a word from Lukas, I got up from my seat and led myself out. I felt somewhat relieved that I had told him everything, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel like it was all over, and that I would never have a chance with Lukas.

* * *

 **Lukas's P.O.V.**

* * *

I listened silently as Mathias led himself out. There were a ton of different thoughts and emotions racing through my head that I had no clue where to even start.

Should I think about the fact that my imminent arrest was just a false alarm, or about how Mathias had kept everything from the police, or should I think about his love confession to me?

Obviously, I chose the confession, as I felt the exact same way. So, it was official, he loved me, and unbeknownst to Mathias, I loved him. Was it wrong of me to keep it from him? I had no doubt that Mathias hadn't brought up the question to himself if his feelings were mutual or not.

Perhaps I should have told him. After all he had done for my sake, it was only fair to let him know that it was all worth the risk. But what if this didn't work out in the end, what if I still end up getting arrested?

Well, we wouldn't know if we didn't try.

* * *

 **Emil's P.O.V.**

* * *

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked as I plopped myself down on Leon's bed. "Want to watch a movie or something?"

Leon followed my lead and sat down on the bed beside me. "Actually, I have to tell you something."

His attempt to sound serious surprised me, but I let it go, as he was probably just trying to fool me, like he usually did.

"Very funny, what could you possibly want to talk to me about?" I laughed.

"I'm not joking around, Emil." I stopped my laughter as he looked at me with a grave expression. "I'm serious."

I started to get nervous, as I had no idea of what he could possibly want to discuss with me. "What is it?"

He hesitated, and I could see that he didn't really want me to know. When he spoke, he said it almost in a whisper, despite the fact that we were the only ones in the house.

"You know how my brother, Yao, is a police officer?"

I nodded, though I didn't like where it was going.

"Well, somehow he knows about you and Lukas, and he asked me to try and get information out of you."

My heart almost stopped.

"He knows about us?"

* * *

 **And I finally give you something in Emil's pov, poor thing, he is so confused.**

 **I know I say this all the time, but I can't thank you guys enough for all the reviews, follows and favorites! It makes me so happy, so keep it coming!**


	25. Chapter 25

**I apologize for this being late. Unfortunately, I'm very bad at keeping to a schedule, so just bear with me.**

 **Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

 **Emil's P.O.V.**

* * *

I left Leon's house quickly after our short conversation. He promised me that he hadn't told Yao anything, and that he wouldn't tell him anything in the future either.

So many thoughts raced through my mind as I hurried back to my house. How would Lukas react to this new information? Perhaps he already knew and was just keeping it from me?

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, though it bothered me when he kept secrets from me, especially about things like this.

But even if Lukas did already know, how could the police have found out and why didn't they do anything about it yet? None of it made any sense.

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

* * *

I had been laying lazily in my bed for the past hour since I had came home from talking with Lukas. Confessing to Lukas had taken a big burden off my shoulders, but I still felt dejected. Lukas still hadn't exactly forgiven me, and I was quite certain that he wouldn't.

I failed. I messed up big time. I had lost all my chances with Lukas. How was I going to finish the job now? I had no idea what I was going to do. I couldn't let Berwald arrest Lukas, but at the same time, I couldn't keep holding back.

Quitting wasn't an option either. If I quit, then there would be nothing stopping Berwald from just arresting Lukas for suspicion. Even if I couldn't have Lukas, I still loved him and I still believed he was somewhat innocent. I still wasn't going to allow him to go to jail.

My phone then buzzed. I prayed to God that it wasn't Berwald. If it was him then I wasn't going to answer him.

I picked it up hesitantly and slowly brought the screen into my view. When I saw who the text was from, I immediately sat up. It was from Lukas.

 _Remember to come to work tomorrow. Eight o'clock sharp._

Was this a form of forgiveness? Did that mean he was giving me another chance?

I smiled. Of course it was. That was exactly how Lukas would go about it, not wanting to outwardly acknowledge the fact that I was forgiven, but making it clear that I was getting another chance.

* * *

 **Lukas's P.O.V.**

* * *

I let a small smile creep up on my face as I sent the text. I could only imagine Mathias's reaction to it. How I wished that I could see it.

After I had sent the text, I suddenly heard the front door slam open. Turning my head quickly, I came to face Emil standing in the doorway, out of breath and panting as if he had ran all the way here.

"Hey, you're back early from Leon." I said casually as he regained his breath.

We stood silent for a few seconds until Emil looked up at me with a serious expression, an expression I didn't like the look of.

"We have to talk." He said in a tone of which a sixteen year old should not be using.

"About what?"

I watched as he stepped further through the open doorway and then closed it behind him. He then walked past me to sit down in the small living room. I followed him and sat down beside him, his seriousness causing me to worry that something was wrong.

He didn't look at me as I sat down, just kept his eyes focused on the floor. "Lukas," He said quietly. "I think the police might know about us."

He still hadn't looked up at me which gave me the opportunity to smile in relief that his worry was nothing to be concerned of. I kind of felt guilty about not telling Emil anything, but I just didn't want him to be involved in my problems. It was enough that I had ruined my life, but I didn't want to ruin his life too.

"Emil," I said in the same quiet tone of his. "there's nothing to worry about. No one's coming after us."

Emil immediately looked up at me and I could almost see hurt in his eyes. "You knew about this? And you didn't tell me anything?"

I slightly averted my eyes from him, as I couldn't bear to look at his hurt expression. "I've only known since yesterday, Emil. I didn't want to tell you though because I just want to keep you out of it."

I glanced back at him. His expression hadn't changed. It made me feel like a horrible older brother, but it was just to protect him.

Emil didn't say anything back, but I could tell he was thinking deeply about it. How did he come across this information anyway?

"How did you find out?" I asked.

"Leon told me. Yao asked him to try getting information out of me." His speech was forced, as I could easily tell that he was angry with me.

So Mathias was right. They can't make an arrest because they don't have enough evidence. The thought made me realize just how lucky I was to have Mathias on my side. If it wasn't for him, I'd most likely be locked up by now.

"And how did you find out?"

Emil's question startled me, making me immediately snap out of my thoughts. I debated on how much I should tell him, but the guilt I had already acquired forced me to just spill out everything to my little brother.

He sat silently as I began to tell him everything Mathias had confessed to me, except for his reasoning. I kept his love confession a secret, surely Emil didn't have to be apart of my love life too, though I might play a small part in his. But I was his older brother after all, so I had my reasons.

When I had finally finished telling over the story, I turned away from Emil, nervous about what his reaction might be. This was probably how Mathias had felt after he had told me everything.

"Lukas, how do you know he's not lying?" I flinched at the sound of Emil's harsh voice. "What if he's still setting you up? He's a freaking detective, he can make stuff up like that! I'm sure he's one hell of a liar, Lukas. You have no proof that he was being honest!"

I did have proof. He loved me and I loved him. It was as simple as that, what other proof did I need?

By this point, Emil was already up from his seat, standing with his arms crossed as he glared at me. I didn't want to face him, so I kept my head down as I spoke.

"Emil, you don't understand. He's not lying this time. I just need you to trust me."

I wished that I could've given him more of a reason to accept my trust, but at this point I couldn't.

"You asked me to trust you last time, right before you hired him, Lukas. Remember that? Remember when I warned you of this and you just shook it off because you had all the confidence in the world? I gave you my trust then, though I didn't share your confidence at all, and it just backfired on me! I'm not doing that again, Lukas. I can't trust you!"

I sighed as I heard him walk away and leave the house, slamming the door shut behind him. I wasn't too concerned of where he was going, as I knew he'd come back eventually.

Sadly, I had to admit that he was right. I wasn't deserving of his trust. I might have been confident last time, but this time I had not only all the confidence in the world, but in the entire universe. There was no room for doubt. I guess some people just don't learn from their mistakes.

* * *

 **Anyone want to take a guess as to where Emil ran off to?**

 **We're getting closer to the end, ladies and gentlemen. Just like another four or five chapters (I haven't exactly decided yet) to go. Now that I think about it, I really hope you guys will like the ending. I'm so nervous about it! Okay, I'll shut up now, don't want to give any spoilers!**

 **Anyway, thanks for all the lovely reviews, my lovely readers. And please if you can, leave a review on this chapter. I read them like a million times (no joke) over and over. I get so excited when I get just one!**

 **Have a spectacular day all you wonderful people. Ciao!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

* * *

The next morning I found myself once again standing in front of Lukas's pseudo office. What once appeared to be the hideout of an enemy was now the home of a person I was risking my career for.

As I took out my key, Emil suddenly came through the door, most likely on his way to school. He didn't attempt to hide the fact that he was still upset with me, for what though I still had no idea.

As usual, I flashed him a smile and stepped aside, waiting for him to walk past like he usually did, but this time, Emil didn't move. My grin began to fade as I looked at him questioningly.

He stood in the middle of the doorway glaring at me, deliberately blocking my path. I was about to ask him if he planned on moving, but he beat me to it by initiating the conversation first.

"What have you done to my brother?"

My mouth opened a little in shock at the question the boy spat out to me. Was that the reason he was upset with me? Was he unhappy with my relationship with Lukas?

But, as far I was concerned, Emil had never been told about our current situation. Had Lukas told him?

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything to Lukas." I answered back cautiously. I had to be careful with what I said, as I didn't know what Emil knew.

"Don't play dumb." I could hear the anger seeping through his voice. "Ever since you showed up he's started to put his trust in others. He doesn't hide his emotions anymore like he always did."

So Emil didn't know? He was angry because I managed to break down Lukas's protective walls?

"And what's wrong with that? If anything, it's good that he's coming out of his shell."

"No it's not," Emil argued while still glaring at me from the doorway. "I was always suspicious of you from the very beginning. In fact, I warned Lukas about you. When you first showed up, I had no doubt that Lukas would turn you away because that's what he did with everybody. But I was wrong because for the first time Lukas said yes, and quite quickly I should add too."

Usually, at this point during long rants like these I would begin to protest and defend myself, but for some reason I forced myself to keep quiet and hear what Emil had to say. It also didn't seem like a very good idea to interrupt him because with every word he spoke, the more angrier he seemed to get.

"When I asked him why he hired you on the spot like that," Emil continued. "he said it was because he felt it was right. That's not something my brother would say! I told him not to hire you, but he did it anyway. Why? Because he trusted you. Lukas doesn't trust _anybody_! But he trusted _you_!"

His last words came out with such force that I almost felt as if gaining Lukas's trust was a bad thing. Had Lukas really been that isolated before now? It almost made me question myself why Lukas had confided in me because according to Emil, I had earned Lukas's trust well before our adventure had even started.

Emil was still rooted to his spot in the doorway, his hands clenched and his face red from his anger, but he managed to recompose himself before speaking again.

"Even after you betrayed my brother, he still continued to trust you. He let you have a second chance. You came here with the intention of arresting him, and yet, he still trusts you! That's not the Lukas that I know."

Before I could react, Emil shot me one last look and then hurried away. The doorway was then empty, waiting for me to enter through it, but I still remained frozen in my place, as if its former blockade was still standing in my way.

I guess I had never fully realized just how much effect I had had on Lukas. As I thought about it, I began to notice the differences in his behavior and attitude towards me between now and the first time we had met.

Though, even when we first met, there still seemed to be something that went on between us. Could it have been love at first sight? I knew that love at first sight was an unproven theory, but the memory of that first meeting between Lukas and I with all its unexplainable awkwardness led me to believe that perhaps there was some truth to that theoretical concept.

I then had to quit my contemplating as Lukas then stepped outside. He looked slightly confused to see me just standing frozen outside his door.

"Are you going to come in?"

I looked up in surprise. "Uh, yeah."

Lukas stepped aside and I quickly walked through the door, embarrassed that he had seen me like that. After I entered, Lukas closed the door and locked it.

For the first few seconds, we both stood opposite each other, the two of us unsure of how to start the much awaiting conversation. Seeing as I had been the reason Lukas was put in that uncomfortable situation, I decided to take the initiative and make the first move.

"I know I've been a pain lately, and I caused you a lot of trouble over the past few days, but I just want to apologize for all of it, and I want you to know that-"

I stopped mid-sentence when I looked up to see Lukas's expression. His gaze was somewhat lowered to the ground, but the small smile etched on his face was impossible to miss. I looked at him in confusion, as the sight was a most rare one, and reserved for only a few specific occasions.

My confusion only intensified as Lukas let out a small laugh, another reaction which required reservation.

"What's so funny?" I managed to utter through my shock.

He put his hands in his pockets and laughed again, his eyes still fixed on the floor. "This whole time I was just inches away from going to jail."

I didn't know where he was going, but he then looked up at me with the smile still plastered on his face, and continued. "The police were literally right under my nose, and yet, I was spared because their man on the job happened to fall for me. That's something I definitely wasn't expecting."

In all honesty, it wasn't something I had been expecting either.

Lukas didn't sound angry with me, but I still felt the need to apologize for everything I had done. "Look, Lukas, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

I had to pause again as Lukas held up his hand to stop me. "Don't apologize. It was your job. I can't be angry with you for trying to fulfill your job, if anything I should be angry with you for not fulfilling your job. But with the current circumstances, I should actually be thanking you."

Once again, as with my previous lecture from Emil, I stayed silent, allowing Lukas to speak to me free of any interruptions that I was so prone to delivering.

"Over the last few weeks," he continued. "I've become a different person because of you. You've shown me that even when life throws every rock it has at you, and leaves you crushed under a pile of bricks which blocks out every ounce of sunlight, leaving you completely in the dark and nowhere to move that there's still a way out. There will always be someone out there willing to give you a hand and remove the rocks from on top of you."

It then slowly dawned on me what Lukas was referring to, but I let him continue anyway. His speech gave me a view of a different side of Lukas, a side I was determined to see more of.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Lukas went on. "you were that one. You taught me how to smile again, how to laugh, and how to look at life with a different perspective, and for that I'm grateful, and I think it's about time that I should actually tell you my true feelings for you."

I could feel my face start to heat up as I realized what Lukas was preparing himself to do. For so long, I had wanted to know how Lukas truly felt about me, and even though I could tell what his feelings were by his actions, I still longed to hear the words from his mouth.

I didn't know why the realization flustered me so much. I guess it had just been something so unexpected. I had already convinced myself that Lukas would never open up to me, but I guess I was wrong.

Emil was right. I had managed to break through the protective wall Lukas had built around himself, and then somehow managed to earn his complete trust.

The only reasonable explanation for it I could think of was love. It was as simple as that.

But even though I had won his trust, I could see that expressing his emotions was still something Lukas found difficult. I could see that he was struggling to do it, but his determination to overcome his stoicism was much too strong, and ultimately took it over.

"I love you, Mathias."

He had only said a total of four words, but those four little words neatly summed up everything Lukas had wanted to say to me. In other words, it was enough to leave me grinning like an idiot.

The only thing that then prevented me from saying those words back to him was the sudden blaring of my phone's ringtone, breaking the almost movie-like setting we were so engrossed in.

I quickly looked at my phone and almost had a mental heart attack when I saw that Berwald was calling. I then suddenly remembered what I had done after Lukas had texted me the other day. It was a foolish mistake on my part, but at that moment I had felt like I was on top of the world. I had felt so confident that I called Berwald and told him that Lukas was planning a robbery for today, just so I could get him off my back for a while. It was only now that I realized how stupid the action had been.

"Hey, Berwald. How's it going?" I asked, trying my best to sound as casual as possible even though on the inside there was a panick alarm blaring in my head.

"Why'd you give us the wrong information?!"

I cringed as Berwald's shouting shot through the phone. I could see Lukas looking at me questioningly, listening to Berwald's ranting, but I tried not to pay attention to him, so that Berwald wouldn't know that I was with him.

"I gave you the wrong information? You mean it was never robbed?"

I could see Lukas's confusion grow as he heard my question, but I continued to keep him in the dark.

"Yes! I've already sent my officers home because we've been waiting for so long with no results! What's wrong with you? I've given you plenty of time, yet you still haven't given us any solid information! Remind me again why I hired you?"

"Wait, I can explain-" I protested, but he didn't allow me to continue.

"I'm not discussing this over the phone! Get over to my office now, or I'm firing you on the spot!"

Before I could give a reply, Berwald quickly hung up and the line went dead. Reluctantly, I hung up on my line too, and sighed before I turned to Lukas to explain myself.

"That was Berwald, chief of police, and the guy I'm working for." I said bitterly. I had never liked Berwald and it were times like these that made me outwardly display my inner feelings about him.

Lukas didn't say anything and waited for me to continue.

"He hasn't really been happy with the fact that I haven't given him any evidence against you yet, so in order to shut him up a bit, I might've told him that you were planning a bank robbery for today."

I was usually composed during these kinds of situations, but this time the only thing I could do was panic. I was usually able to think up an excuse or a lie, but this time, I had nothing. It was obvious that Berwald getting fired was imminent.

"So what are you going to do?" Lukas asked in a serious tone.

I shrugged. For the first time in my career I felt defeated. "I don't know. He wants me to go over there now, so I guess we'll see, though, I'm pretty sure my job is already done with."

Lukas didn't say anything as I slowly made my way out the door. I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye, and it looked as if he wanted to say something, but then decided against it.

"It's a shame really." I said as I opened the door. "We've already gotten this far, we're so close, and yet, it all has to backfire on us."

* * *

I had a lot of first moments while sitting in the chair opposite Berwald's desk.

It was the first time I had felt fear in front of him. It was also the first time I had felt fear in front of anyone higher than me in authority.

It was the first time I couldn't relax my shaky nerves and keep myself from sweating buckets out of anxiety.

It was the first time I had realized just how intimidating Berwald's death glare really was.

And though I had already had my first time for being speechless, this was the first time I had been thoughtless, as I couldn't calm myself down enough to form simple words in my head.

Overall, it was the first time that I had doubts about getting out alive. Granted, I had screwed up in the past, but this time I had screwed up so bad that my chances of survival were so slim, almost to the point where there probably were no chances.

As I was speechless and thoughtless, my only option of action was to sit silently while listening to Berwald's scolding lecture. It seemed as if I was lecture magnet that day, as Berwald's was already my third.

And might I add, it was also the first time I had kept my mouth shut the whole time when Berwald spoke.

"I am on the verge of firing you and just arresting Lukas for suspicion right now, so if you can't explain to me in detail why you can't do this simple job, that is exactly what I'm going to do."

He stared at me expectantly as I tried to form an excuse in my head. Nothing was coming to me. I was at a loss and I didn't have much time. This was it. My plan of stalling the police was ruined, I had no backup plan.

I had ruined my career, and worst of all, I had lost Lukas. Once again, I had betrayed him.

"It wasn't as simple as I thought."

I knew it was lame, and I knew that Berwald wouldn't accept it, but something kept telling me that buying myself more time was the best idea.

"How hard can it be?" I was right about him not accepting my poor excuse. "You can hear everything he says. How can you miss it?"

As hard as I tried, still no excuses or lies came to mind. My advantage of being a detective proved itself useless.

And then the dreaded words came.

"Well, what's the point of us waiting around for something that will never come? We're not going to get any proof or evidence out of this, so I think it's time to take some more drastic measures. Perhaps, if we arrested him, we might get a confession."

And then suddenly my thoughts came back, though all I was able to think about was what Berwald wanted to do, and how I had promised that I wouldn't allow it to happen.

But there was nothing I could do now. It was too late. I had failed, and my promise to Lukas had been broken.

"I don't believe we'll need you anymore, Mathias." Berwald said. Though he spoke solemnly, I could see that he was secretly happy about letting me go.

The tense atmosphere was then broken by his phone ringing. I could see the annoyed in his expression as he quickly answered.

"What is it? I'm busy."

I couldn't hear what was said on the other line, but Berwald's frantic expression informed me that it wasn't good.

"Now there's a robbery?! Get over there as fast as you can!"

A robbery? But Lukas wasn't supposed to be robbing a bank that day.

* * *

 **I just have really bad luck because the minute I decided to post this my internet went down, and I had to wait almost an hour until it went back up again! It was so annoying!**

 **But anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for all your reviews/favs/follows!**

 **Please, please, please leave a review! They get me so excited!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

* * *

The second Berwald hung up the phone we were already out the door and headed towards our designated cars to get to the scene of the crime. We probably looked like madmen because Tino stared at us in panic as we raced passed him. He tried to ask us what was going on, but we barely heard him, as our thoughts were completely focused on the matter at hand.

I had no idea what to think. I had lied about the whole robbery, it wasn't really supposed to happen. I wanted to believe that it was just a coincidence, but something kept telling me that Lukas was involved, despite the fact that he had no bank robbing plans whatsoever.

The bank had already been completely taken over by the police when I had arrived. For the first few minutes I just stood watching the police, keeping my eyes out for anything that would give me any clues as to who was responsible for turning my lie into reality.

Berwald arrived within a few minutes, and that's when the real action started. Amidst all the chaos, we seemed to have forgotten about the tension that had arisen between us just a few minutes prior, and actually ended up falling into working together, and quite harmoniously too.

"We should check out how the robbery was committed." Berwald said to me as he approached. It seemed as if he trusted me more than his officers, despite the fact that he was just minutes away from firing me.

"We should. It would give us a clue as to if it was Lukas or not."

Berwald then stopped in his tracks and turned to face me with a serious expression. "You'd better pray that it was Lukas if you want to keep this investigation going because this is the final straw. If someone else robbed this bank, then you can consider yourself fired."

He then swiftly turned away and headed inside the bank without giving me any opportunity to express my opinion on his decision.

As I followed him inside, too many thoughts raced through my mind, each one conflicting the other. I really hoped Lukas wasn't the one at fault, but at the same time, I couldn't help but hope that he was, so that I could have another chance and come up with a new and more well thought out plan.

We first spoke to the bank's manager, a very dramatic and surprisingly handsome, blonde Frenchman. I could've sworn I'd seen him before, possibly as one of the rare customers at Gilbert's bar, but I couldn't quite remember. It was obvious that the whole commotion had taken its stressful toll on him, as he was quite hysterical about the whole ordeal.

"I don't even know what happened! One minute everything is fine, and then before you know it there are alarms going off. I don't even know how they got past security, the cameras show nothing!"

There was a quick glance shared between us while despite the absence of words, we were able to fully understand what the other was thinking. One of us was relieved with the information while the other was not too pleased in a sense that he had failed at his attempt to get rid of his most hated employee. You guess who's thoughts were whose.

"That means I get to keep the job, right?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

And it was a good thing that I knew the answer because Berwald was not willing to share it with me. Or maybe he was, as his wordless glares do tend to get his message fully across.

Whatever the case, I knew the game hadn't been lost just yet. Lukas's most recent robbery had just secured me another chance, and I was going to take it seriously this time around.

The rest of the operation did not take long as we already knew who the culprit was. After taking a look at the vault and where the money was stolen from, I took my leave, as I didn't want to feel the guilt of knowing how it all happened, and keeping it from the police who were at their wit's end with trying to figure out this case.

As I left, a realization suddenly hit me, a realization that probably should have came about at the very beginning. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, but the whole assumption that Lukas was the criminal made no sense.

I knew full well that robbing that bank was not on Lukas's agenda for the day, but I was most certain that it was him. But it couldn't have been, or could it?

* * *

 **Berwald's P.O.V.**

* * *

I sighed as I returned to the police station. I was angry, exhausted, and just utterly confused.

I was angry with Mathias for his lack of information, but I was still confused as to why he didn't have more to share. I was almost certain that with Mathias stalling the case it would never be solved. I was so eager to just arrest Lukas already, despite the fact that we had no real evidence.

Either my emotions had finally turned visible for once, or Tino was just really good at reading my masked expressions because he immediately asked for an explanation when I walked in.

"Was it the guy you're after?" He asked in a rare, serious tone of his that he often used when he was on edge.

I had noticed that because usually Tino was quite composed in stressful situations, always able to look at the bright side of things, but when he was in doubt, he lost those abilities and his lack of optimism clearly showed.

"Yes, it was most definitely Lukas." I didn't usually share police information with people outside the police force, but Tino was my only exception. "But we're still getting nowhere."

Tino looked at me sympathetically as I pushed my pride aside and sat down defeatedly in the chair by his desk. He looked like he was thinking of something to say, but I could see he was struggling, so I helped him get out of it.

"I just don't know what to do. Mathias isn't helping. Okay, so he managed to warn us about a robbery today, but the warning proved pointless in the end. I don't have any evidence yet, but I have no other options. All I can do is arrest him for suspicion and hope I can get a confession or something out of him."

"Don't do that."

Tino's quick remark earned a strange look from me. "Why not?"

He hesitated a little, and his words were quick and jumbled, as if he were trying to hide something from me.

"I think you should give it some more time, Ber. Wait some more and maybe something will turn up."

It puzzled me as to why Tino of all people was giving me such advice, but I didn't feel the need to question it. I knew Tino didn't really like when someone went to jail, though he knew they fully deserved it, most of the time, but something about his suggestion seemed odd. Why did he want me to wait? If Lukas was guilty now, then surely he'd still be guilty a couple weeks later, right?

"Fine. I'll wait."

The comment seemed to please him, as I could tell that he was much more relaxed than when I had first walked in. I didn't know why my reply satisfied him, but the fact that I had satisfied Tino pleased me.

It amazed me how much love could have such an impact on some of our most biggest decisions in life. I could only imagine what would've happened if Tino hadn't altered my decision.

* * *

 **I know, I'm a horrible person for not updating in like what, a month? I'm so, so, so, sorry! It's just that school started at the beginning of September, and then everything just went downhill from there. I'm still amazed that I was able to pop this chapter out, that's also why it's on the short side. It was actually supposed to be longer, but I knew if I tried to write more than it would take a lot longer to upload this, so I apologize.**

 **Anyway, hope you liked it especially after my long absence. I would love to get some reviews, and they'd make me feel so much better as I'm kind of miserable right now because I fell in gym today and cut open both my hands and knee, so I'm in a lot of pain right now, but reviews would make me feel so much better!**

 **Thank you all for reading and have a very good night or day or whatever. I've got no idea when this next update will be, so just keep your eyes open I guess!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me, unfortunately.**

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V.**

* * *

A wave of relief rushed over me as my eyes caught sight of Lukas, safe and sound in his makeshift office, right where I had left him before Berwald had interrupted us. My heart, which had been beating at record breaking speeds throughout the duration of the drive to Lukas's house, had begun to somewhat decrease, allowing me to breath normally again now that I knew Lukas was not in danger of getting caught.

"So, how did your meeting with Berwald go?" Lukas asked as soon as I had entered through the door.

"Well," I began to reply. "you'll never guess, but we were interrupted."

Lukas raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for me to continue. "By what?"

"A bank robbery."

"A bank robbery?"

I nodded. "And you'll never believe where! It was the same bank that I had told Berwald that you would be robbing. Is that a lucky coincidence or what?!"

My thoughts were in a jumble as I tried to comprehend the complete fortune that I had just been a recipient of, but as I glanced at Lukas, I could tell by his expression that he wasn't sharing the same surprise as I was.

"You don't seem turned on at all." I commented.

Lukas sighed. "I don't believe in coincidences, Mathias."

His tone caught me off guard, as if there was more to his simple opinionated reply. I tensed, as I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to hear what more he had to say.

But I didn't really have a choice when Lukas began to continue again.

"You didn't lie to Berwald, Mathias. You gave him the right information. You told him who was going to rob the bank and when, and they did."

It didn't take me more than a second to realize what he was trying to imply.

"Lukas!" I shouted out of shock. "Please tell me you're joking. It wasn't you, right?"

Lukas frowned and lowered his gaze. "I don't joke around."

I continued to stare at him in disbelief. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Why? Why would you risk it like that?"

"I had to." Lukas said solemnly. "It was the least I could do, for you."

For me? He did it for me?

"Before you left," Lukas went on. "I wanted to tell you first and if I should do it, but I decided against it, thinking it would be better if you didn't know. When you were gone I quickly rounded up the others and went through with the robbery."

I was still in shock, but I had recovered enough to find my words. "Lukas, you didn't have to do that. You could've been caught, you know."

"But I wasn't." Lukas answered back. "And besides, if I hadn't done anything then I would've been caught anyway."

He had a point. Berwald had been just about ready to arrest him of suspicion. But I still wasn't so comfortable with it, despite the fact that his spontaneous action had just got us out of that sticky situation.

"Well, then I guess I should be thanking you now. After all, if it weren't for you then I would have just been fired." I said, a smile returning to my face.

Lukas smiled in return. "Don't mention it."

And once again, as if it were a requirement for every intimate moment we ever had, a phone rang, and this time it was Lukas's.

* * *

 **It has been forever! I can go on and on apologizing for my lack of presence on this site, but I'll spare you that. But seriously, this has been my first serious writing since like September. Also, I apologize for it being really short, but that's all my spare time allowed me to produce.**

 **But as I said, I'm not giving up on this. No matter how hard my school tries to deprive me of my writing, I will prosper!**

 **But on a serious note, please please please review and favorite and follow. They make me so happy, and I hate to nag for them, but it's only because they really motivate me, especially in these time limited times (that didn't sound right).**

 **And expect the last two chapters to show up in the next few weeks. That's right folks, last two chapters! Almost done! Not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing, but I guess I'll just let you guys decide. And now I'm ranting, so bye, and thanks for reading, as always!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

 **Mathias's P.O.V .**

* * *

The expression on Lukas's face when he looked at his phone was one I had never seen before. It was one I didn't think Lukas was capable of. He actually looked frightened.

"Who is it?" I asked, though I got no response.

Lukas sighed and then answered the call, though he looked reluctant about doing it. "Hello?"

The conversation went on for about five minutes with the caller speaking most of the time, while Lukas merely answered with one word replies of confirmation every so often. Because of this lack of speaking from his side, I had no idea what they were talking about, or who it was on the other line.

I waited silently, though with impatience, as Lukas finished the almost one sided call. When he finally said his goodbye, he slowly brought the phone down from his ear and gave a long sigh.

"So, what was that all about?"

Lukas didn't respond right away, instead he just stood there silently, as if he were debating about what he should say. I waited a bit longer, though still with the same impatience as before, and finally after a few quiet moments, Lukas answered.

"It's about time I told you everything, isn't it?"

I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? What haven't you told me?"

Lukas just grabbed a chair and sat down, motioning for me to do so as well.

"That call was from my boss, Natalie Braginsky." Lukas said calmly, as soon as I had sat down. "She was giving me orders for a large robbery tomorrow."

Natalie Braginsky? Why did that name sound familiar?

"Mathias? Are you listening?"

I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and turned my attention back to Lukas. "Yeah, it's just that that name rings a bell, but I can't remember where I heard it."

"She's the owner of Braginsky Coffee."

That's where I heard it! It was way at the beginning of the whole case when I was researching this company that Lukas was part of. But why was the owner blackmailing him and the others?

"I remember reading that on the company's website," I said. "But why is she blackmailing you? What did you guys do?"

Lukas hung his head and looked down at the floor. "To be honest, nothing really. It was all a matter of power."

A matter of power? What did that mean?

"It's complicated, and a bit crazy, but I'll try to explain." Lukas continued. "Before Natalie took over, her brother Ivan was head of the company. The reason Natalie is the current owner is because her brother died after suffering from a terminal illness for a few months."

I recalled reading that on their website, but apparently the website didn't want to publicize Ivan's cause of death.

"You know, I read about that, but it said that he died of unknown causes." I inquired, as I was pretty confused with the new information that seemed to contradict what I thought I already knew.

Lukas smirked. "That's Natalie's doing. She didn't want anyone to know why he died."

"Why?"

"Because then she wouldn't be able to blackmail us." Lukas said, though I think it just made me more confused. Luckily, Lukas noticed my bewilderment and began to elaborate.

"During Ivan's last couple months, the company was losing money rapidly. Natalie knew this, and she wasn't in any way going to let the company go bankrupt. So, she was willing to build her company back up illegally, using us to hide her tracks."

I was right this whole time. Lukas was never at fault for this, it was all because of this crazy Natalie lady! She was the one responsible for putting Lukas through all of this. But, how was she able to get him to do it?

"You're probably wondering how she forced me." Lukas said, as if reading my mind.

I nodded and he continued. "Well, Natalie is not an idiot. She knew perfectly well that me and the others would never consent to resorting to illegal means of obtaining money. So, she decided to frame us for her brother's death in order to blackmail us into robbing banks for her."

The nerve of that woman! I was ready to kill her. How dare she blackmail Lukas for something he didn't even do!

"So that's why she didn't confirm his cause of death?" I asked, quickly putting the pieces together.

Lukas nodded. "She told us that she made all the fake evidence that we murdered him, and if we disagreed to follow her orders, she would bring a case against us to the police. We obviously complied, for her evidence looked too real."

The more Lukas told me, the more angry I got. I seriously wanted to strangle her, make her pay for everything she put Lukas through. I was so caught up in my anger, I didn't even realize that I was allowing it to show.

"Mathias, are you alright?" Lukas asked concerned.

I probably should have taken a moment to just calm down, but my impulsive nature got the better of me. "No, I'm not alright! I'm pissed, Lukas! I'm going to arrest this psycho for you! Tell me where I can find her!"

"Mathias," Lukas said, trying to calm me down. "just hold on a second. You're not thinking rationally right now."

But I didn't hear him because I was too focused on the matter at hand. "No, Lukas. I can't let this go on anymore. I simply won't allow it. You're not going to rob that bank tomorrow."

"Mathias, listen to me for a minute." Lukas said sternly. My logic was beginning to come back and I slowly began to remember what I had just said. "As of now, there isn't much that can be done. The police are going to arrest me any day now, it's obvious their patience is running out, and I'm sorry, Mathias, but I'm afraid you won't be able to hold them off much longer. Also, Natalie is going to be at the bank tomorrow, so it's pretty important that I do this. And if I get caught, then so be it. It's going to happen eventually."

Was Lukas right? Was the game impossible to win at this point? Surely there had to be some secret move that I could pull to get us out of this, right?

Maybe not. What could I do? Lukas was right about the police, I didn't even imagine that Berwald would be able to wait this long, but there was no way he'd be able to pull it off much longer.

But wait, Lukas said that Natalie would be at the bank tomorrow. What if I were able to somehow expose her to the police? Maybe it wasn't over just yet.

But just before I could come up with a plan, there was a knock at the front door. Lukas and I both gave each other a look before Lukas went to open it. When he did, my eyes widened in surprise when I saw who it was at the door, and Lukas and I both, and I emphasize the both, shouted simultaneously,

"Tino?!"


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia :(**

* * *

 **Lukas's P.O.V.**

* * *

"Tino?!"

I was surprised, to say the least, to see Tino standing at my door, mainly because I had lost all contact with him in the last couple years. But aside from his unexpected visit, I was also surprised to see that Mathias somehow knew him too.

"Uh, Tino," I said awkwardly. "I haven't heard from you in a while, come in."

I noticed the uncomfortable look on his face as he slowly entered my fake office. He avoided eye contact with me and instead chose to stare at the floor.

"Wait," Mathias interrupted before any conversation could start. "How do you know Tino? And Tino," He said, turning his attention to the uncomfortable Finn. "how do you know Lukas?"

I decided against reprimanding him for asking such obnoxious questions, for I was wondering the same thing, just the other way around.

"Tino used to work with us for Ivan." I answered quickly. "He quit, though, shortly after Natalie took over."

Mathias was silent as he processed the information. "So are you telling me that he knew about you the whole time?"

"Yes." I said, though Tino still remained quiet. "But I didn't know where he went. I'm assuming that's how you became acquainted with him."

"I guess," Mathias said. "he's Berwald's secretary. It's all pretty ironic now if you think about it."

So he decided to go work for the police. It was a smart move on his part, as it would keep Natalie far away from him. But the question of his sudden appearance was still unanswered.

"I'm assuming there's a reason you came here, Tino." I said calmly, as it was obvious that his decision of coming was a hard one. "Though, I'm kind of glad you're here. I've been wanting to tell you all this time that I appreciate your keeping quiet about the whole ordeal, even though the silence kind of benefits you in a way, but nonetheless, you didn't rat us out."

"No, Lukas." Tino said suddenly, his voice coming out hoarsely, as if he were trying to hold back tears. "Don't say that. I don't deserve your appreciation, or your friendship for that matter, or anything."

What the hell was he talking about? I could tell Mathias was probably thinking the same thing, so I asked for both of us.

"Tino, what do you mean?"

"Lukas," he said, choking on his words as tears fell down his face. "I'm sorry. It's true that all this time I tried so hard to keep my mouth shut, but when I met Berwald, and he started working on your case, it became so difficult."

"Tino, what are you talking about?!" I demanded because I had a pretty good feeling of what he was trying to say, but a few of the pieces were still missing. In my furry, I ended up pinning him against the wall, demanding that he explain in detail. "What are you apologizing for?!"

"I-I'm sorry, but I had to tell him. I had to tell Berwald about tomorrow. I just couldn't take it anymore, he was working himself so hard and he wasn't getting anywhere. I'm sorry, but I felt I had to do something. I don't expect you to forgive me Lukas, or to even understand. I barely understand it, Lukas. Love just makes you do crazy things sometimes, things you would never even dream of doing. I'm sorry."

It was all over. Tomorrow I'd be arrested, caught in the act, even.

I looked over at Tino, who looked like he was in the middle of a mental breakdown. Upon noticing my silence, he grabbed the opportunity to leave, but not before muttering another apology as he left. As much as I wanted to blame him, I couldn't bring myself to. He followed his heart in the end, and I wasn't in any position to argue against that.

"Lukas?"

I turned to Mathias, who was surprisingly silent until now.

"Yeah?"

"What's the point in you going tomorrow, now?" He asked hesitantly.

I sighed, thinking about my fate. There was a point in going, as both ways were a lose-lose situation.

"If I don't go, then they'll still have reason to arrest me." I said slowly. "But at least if I do go, I can watch Natalie get justice for what she did."

Mathias was silent for a moment until he replied. "Well, if you're going, then I'm going with you."

"What?!"

He wanted to come with me? Was he a complete idiot? Then he'd for sure get found out by the police. They'd know that he was an accomplice.

"You heard me." He said again sternly. "I'm going with you tomorrow."

"You're crazy, Mathias! You'll get arrested for sure. At least if you stay out of it, you can pretend you never knew about. You don't need to do this to yourself." I said frantically.

I couldn't allow it. I wasn't going to pull him into this with me. If he got arrested too, it would be all my fault.

"Lukas, listen to me." Mathias said. "It was my decision to turn against the police, not yours. I'm going with you tomorrow, and will very possibly get arrested alongside you as well. You know why, Lukas? Because love makes you do crazy things sometimes. It's why I went from a hardcore, justice seeking detective to aiding a bank robber in his crimes. I'm not backing out now, whether you like it or not."

I was dumbfounded, astonished, just utterly confused. Was this really how it was supposed to end, the two of us being locked behind bars together? It couldn't be-

"Hey, quit thinking about it so hard." Mathias said, while taking a few steps towards me. "Who says every story has to have a happy ending? I don't know about you, but all I really wanted at the end of this was to be together with you, though I'll admit I didn't dream of being with you in a jail cell, but I'll take what I can get. And besides, when I first started this case, I was pretty sure it would be one hell of an adventure, and boy, was I right!"

And then, I could feel him kiss me, making it seem like all my thoughts and worries were put on standby, allowing me to see the situation through his perspective.

And he was right, whether we remained free or not didn't determine our happy ending, but whether if we were together or not. As long as we were together, the police could strip us of our freedom and innocence, but not even a jail cell could keep our love apart.

* * *

 **I finished! I even gave you two chapters at once!**

 **Okay, so I really hope you don't think this is a sucky ending, but this was kind of my underlying theme for this whole story that the good guy goes bad all because he's in love. Though I also used it in reverse with Tino and Berwald, in case you didn't notice.**

 **So, yeah, that's it. That is the end of Illegal Love, my dear readers. Thank you all so much for staying with me all this time, it's been almost a year!**

 **So, please tell me your thoughts! I'd love to hear what you thought of the story and once again, thanks for reading!**

 **P.S. I was going to show the bank robbery and actually reveal the actual ending, if they get arrested or not, but in the end I decided to leave it up to you, or just let you question their happy ending for eternity :D**

 **Bye and see you all in future fanfics, hopefully!**


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